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IN 

~  AMERICAN    ARCHAEOLOGY   AND    ETHNOLOGY 

Vol.  12,  No.  8,  pp.  283-338,  plate  6  May  11,  1917 


BY 

EDWARD  WINSLOW  GIFFORD 


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UNIV.   CALIF.    PUBL.   AM.   ARCH.   &  ETHN. 


[GIFFORD]    PLATE  6 


THOMAS   WILLIAMS,    OF   JAMESTOWN 

CENTRAL    SIERRA    MIWOK 

Narrator  of   Stories  nos.    1—11 


UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA    PUBLICATIONS 


IN 


AMERICAN    ARCHAEOLOGY   AND    ETHNOLOGY 

Vol.  12,  No.  8,  pp.  283-338,  plate  6  May  1 1,  1917 


MIWOK  MYTHS 

BY 
EDWARD   WINSLOW   GIFFOKD 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Introduction  283 

Stories  by   Thomas   Williams 284 

1.  The  Theft  of  Fire „.. 284 

2.  Bear  and  the  Fawns 286 

3.  Yayali,  the  Giant 292 

4.  The   Making  of  Arrows 302 

5.  Prairie  Falcon's  Marriage 306 

6.  The  Flood  310 

7.  The  Repeopling  of  the  World 312 

8.  The  Search  for  the  Deer 314 

9.  Salamander   and   Chipmunk _ 318 

10.  Lizard  and  Fox 323 

11.  Valley  Quail's  Adventures 329 

Stories  by  William  Fuller 332 

12.  The  Theft  of  Fire _ 332 

13.  Bear  and  the  Fawns 333 

14.  Yayali,  the  Giant - 334 

Abstracts    ..  335 


INTRODUCTION 

The  fourteen  stories  'presented  in  this  collection  were  secured 
during  1913  and  1914  among  the  Central  Sierra  Miwok  of  Tuolumne 
County,  California.  Three,  which  are  exceedingly  brief,  were  told  by 
William  Fuller  of  Soulsbyville.  The  remaining  eleven  were  obtained 
from  Thomas  Williams  of  Jamestown,  whose  picture  appears  in 
plate  6. 

All  are  sentence-by-sentence  translations  into  English  of  myths 
which  were  recorded  in  Miwok  on  the  phonograph. 

These  stories  were  formerly  related  at  night  in  the  circular 
assembly  houses  of  the  Miwok.  Certain  men  versed  in  the  myths  often 


284  University  of  California  Publications  in  Am.  Arch,  and  Ethn.     [Vol.  12 

travelled  from  village  to  village  telling  the  tales  in  the  assembly  house 
of  each  village.  Such  a  raconteur  was  known  as  an  utentbe,  a  name 
derived  from  utne,  a  myth.  Each  utentbe  was  paid  for  his  services, 
his  audience  presenting  him  with  baskets,  beads,  furs,  and  food. 
Thomas  Williams,  who  was  formerly  an  utentbe,  said  that  the  telling 
of  a  myth  often  took  all  night.  Not  infrequently  the  myth  was 
chanted.  Each  myth,  whether  chanted  or  told  in  ordinary  prose,  was 
accompanied  by  the  songs  of  the  various  characters.  For  example, 
with  the  story  of  Prairie  Falcon's  Marriage  belong  three  songs,  one 
sung  by  Prairie  Falcon,  one  by  his  wife,  and  one  by  his  father. 

A  comprehensive  collection  of  Miwok  myths,  including  a  number 
from  the  Central  Sierra  Miwok,  has  been  published  by  Dr.  C.  Hart 
Merriam.1  Stephen  Powers  includes  three  Miwok  myths  in  his 
"Tribes  of  California."2  Dr.  A.  L.  Kroeber  has  printed  a  number 
of  Southern  Sierra  Miwok  myths.3 


STORIES  BY  THOMAS  WILLIAMS 

1.     THE   THEFT  OF  FIRE 

The  Black  Geese  asked  the  White  Geese  to  help  them.  They 
gathered  in  the  assembly  house. 

Lizard  lay  on  top  of  the  rock  and  looked  into  the  valley.  It  was 
then  that  he  found  the  fire.  He  saw  the  flames  issuing  from  the 
smoke  hole  in  the  top  of  a  large  assembly  house.  Then  Lizard  told 
Coyote  that  he  saw  the  fire  below.  Coyote  doubted  him.  Lizard  said, 
' '  Come  up  here  on  top  of  the  rock,  look  below,  and  you  will  see  sparks 
coming  from  the  assembly  house."  Coyote  asked,  "Where  do  you 
see  the  fire?  I  see  no  fire  in  that  direction."  Then  Lizard  said, 
"Watch.  There  goes  another  spark."  Coyote  said  to  the  Geese, 
"It  is  strange  that  we  cannot  see  it.  He  saw  it  again."  The  Geese 
did  not  believe  him.  They  said  that  he  was  deceiving  them. 

After  sundown  Coyote  saw  the  fire,  entered  the  assembly  house, 
and  told  everyone  about  it.  Flute-player  (Mouse)  said  nothing.  The 
people  told  Flute-player  to  go  out  and  look  at  the  fire.  Flute-player 
merely  said,  "Yes."  He  took  with  him  four  flutes,  but  told  no  one 


1  The  Dawn  of  the  World:    Myths  and  Weird  Tales  told  by  the  Mewan  Indians 
of  California,  A.  H.  Clark  Co.,  1910,  Cleveland,  O. 

2  Contrib.  N.  Am.  Ethn.,  in,  358,  366,  367,  1877. 

3  Indian   Myths   of   South   Central   California,   Univ.   Calif.   Publ.   Am.   Arch. 
Ethn.,  iv,  202,  1907. 


1917]  Gifford:  Miwok  Myths  285 

when  he  left.  He  played  two  flutes  while  he  journeyed  into  the  valley. 
When  he  arrived  at  the  assembly  house  in  the  valley,  he  did  not  know 
how  to  enter.  Bear,  Rattlesnake,  and  Mountain  Lion  guarded  the 
door,  so  that  none  might  enter.  Flute-player  climbed  on  top  of  the 
assembly  house.  There  he  found  Eagle  with  his  wing  over  the  smoke 
hole,  so  that  none  might  enter.  Eagle,  however,  slept.  Flute-player 
was  puzzled,  for  he  did  not  know  how  to  enter  the  house  undetected. 
Finally,  he  cut  two  feathers  from  Eagle's  wing  and  thereby  entered. 

When  he  descended  into  the  assembly  house,  he  found  the  people 
asleep.  He  went  to  the  fire  and  filled  two  of  his  flutes  with  coals. 
Again  he  visited  the  fire,  filling  two  more.  He  filled  four  flutes  with 
the  fire. 

Then  he  started  for  home.  All  of  the  people  awoke  and  looked 
for  him.  They  ran  all  over  the  hills,  but  did  not  find  him.  Eagle 
sent  in  pursuit  Wind,  then  Rain,  then  Hail.  Hail  caught  flute-player. 
Flute-player,  however,  placed  his  flutes  in  the  water  before  Hail 
caught  him.  He  told  Hail  that  he  had  nothing.  He  said  that  he 
would  take  no  one's  fire.  Hail  believed  him  and  departed. 

Flute-player  then  recovered  his  flutes  and  played  upon  them  after 
Hail  departed.  He  still  had  his  fire.  He  said  to  himself,  "I  have 
my  fire." 

Finally,  he  arrived  at  home,  arrived  with  his  fire  in  the  four  flutes. 
Coyote  came  down  the  mountains  to  search  for  him,  for  he  feared 
that  someone  had  killed  Flute-player.  Flute-player  sent  Coyote  back 
ahead  of  him  to  tell  the  people  that  he  was  returning  with  the  fire. 
Coyote  ran  back  and  told  the  people  to  gather  wood,  told  them  that 
Flute-player  was  bringing  the  fire. 

Flute-player  proceeded  slowly,  so  that  Coyote,  becoming  impatient, 
went  to  meet  him  again.  He  met  him  when  he  was  nearly  home. 
Upon  his  arrival,  Flute-player  climbed  on  top  of  the  assembly  house. 
Then  he  played  his  flute.  Everyone  inside  was  cold.  When  Flute- 
player  finished  playing  one  flute  he  dropped  coals  through  the  smoke 
hole  into  the  assembly  house.  Then  he  started  to  play  a  second  flute. 
Before  he  finished  playing  the  second  one,  Coyote  interrupted  him 
by  shouting.  Coyote  told  Flute-player  to  continue  playing. 

The  people  in  the  middle  received  the  fire ;  the  others  received  but 
little  fire — the  north  people,  the  south  people,  the  east  people,  and 
the  west  people.  The  west  people  did  not  talk  very  distinctly,  because 
they  received  so  little  fire ;  the  east  people  the  same ;  the  north  people 
the  same;  the  south  people  the  same.  Those  who  were  close  to  the 


286  University  of  California  Publications  in  Am.  Arch,  and  Etlm.     [Vol.  12 

fire  talked  distinctly.     Coyote,  who  stayed  at  the  door,  received  but 
little  fire.    He  tried  to  talk,  but  shouted  instead. 

The  people  in  the  middle  cooked  their  food.  The  others  ate  theirs 
raw.  They  talked  different  languages  from  the  people  in  the  middle. 
The  west  people  talked  differently ;  the  south  people  talked  differently ; 
the  north  people  talked  differently ;  the  east  people  talked  differently. 
The  middle  people  talked  correctly,  for  they  were  around  the  fire. 
The  people  who  were  around  the  fire  cooked  their  food.  The  people 
in  the  middle  obtained  the  acorns  and  the  manzanita.  The  others  had 
nothing  to  eat.  That  which  they  ate  was  always  raw.  It  was  Coyote 's 
fault,  that  the  others  talked  incorrectly.  If  Coyote  had  said  nothing, 
all  would  have  received  fire.  He  spoiled  the  scheme,  when  he  shouted 
at  Flute-player,  for  Flute-player  stopped.  He  stopped  before  he  had 
played  the  fourth  flute  and  before  he  had  distributed  all  of  the  fire. 

All  of  those  who  received  the  fire  talked  the  same  language.  All 
of  those  who  were  close  to  the  fire  had  the  same  language.  Some 
received  the  fire.  Some  did  not  receive  it.  That  is  why  they  did  not 
speak  the  same  language. 

If  Lizard  had  not  found  the  fire,  all  would  have  died.  He  found 
the  fire  and  saved  the  people.  Lizard  found  the  fire  below.  Flute- 
player  went  below  to  steal  the  fire  to  save  the  people  from  death. 
Coyote  shouted  to  Flute-player  to  drop  one  coal  in  front  of  him. 
Then  he  dropped  the  coal  and  one  went  without  fire.  All  of  the  middle 
people  understand  each  other.  The  others  do  not  hear  one  another 
very  plainly.  They  would  all  have  talked  correctly,  if  they  had  all 
received  fire.  The  people  fought  each  other,  because  they  did  not 
understand  each  other's  speech. 

[The  assembly  house  of  the  valley  people  was  upon  the  west  side 
of  the  San  Joaquin  River.  The  assembly  house  of  the  Geese  was  at 
Goodwin's  Ranch,  near  Montezuma,  Tuolumne  County.] 


2.     BEAE  AND  THE  FAWNS 

' '  Sister-in-law,  let  us  get  clover.  I  like  clover, ' '  Bear  said  to  Deer. 
Then  Deer  replied,  "Yes,  we  will  eat  clover."  Bear  said,  "We  will 
leave  these  girls  (Fawns)  at  home.  They  always  follow  you."  She 
told  the  Fawns,  "We  go  to  eat  clover.  Clover  is  high  enough  to  eat 
now,  I  think.  You  girls  stay  at  home  until  we  return." 

Bear  said  to  her  sister-in-law,  "Let's  go.  We  will  be  back  to- 
night. ' '  Then  they  went  below  to  eat  clover. 


1917]  Gifford:  Miwok  Myths  287 

After  they  had  gone  below,  Bear  said,  "Let's  sit  down  and  rest." 
Then  she  continued,  "Examine  my  head,  examine  my  head.  I  must 
have  lice  on  my  head. ' '  Deer  replied,  ' '  Yes,  yes,  come  here  and  I  will 
look  for  lice."  Then  she  found  lice  on  Bear's  head.  She  found  large 
frogs  on  Bear's  head.  When  she  found  the  frogs,  she  picked  them  off 
and  threw  them  away.  Bear  asked  her,  "What  is  it  that  you  throw 
away?  Are  you  throwing  away  my  lice?"  Deer  replied,  "No,  you 
hear  the  leaves  dropping."  Bear  said,  "Take  them  all  out.  I  have 
many  lice." 

Then  Deer  removed  them  all.  Bear  asked,  "What  are  you  throw- 
ing away?"  Deer  replied,  "I  throw  away  nothing.  You  hear  pine 
cones  dropping  from  the  tree."  Bear  said,  "I  think  that  you  throw 
away  my  lice."  Deer  retorted,  "No,  those  are  pine  cones  dropping 
from  the  trees." 

' '  Remove  them  all,  then, ' '  said  Bear ;  ' '  remove  them  all.  My  head 
feels  light,  since  you  have  finished  picking  the  lice  from  it."  Deer 
threw  away  the  frogs,  threw  away  large  frogs. 

Bear  said  to  Deer,  ' '  Let  me  examine  your  head. ' '  Deer  said,  ' '  All 
right."  Bear  examined  Deer's  head  and  said,  "There  are  many." 
Deer's  lice  were  wood-ticks  and  Bear  proceeded  to  take  them  from 
Deer's  head. 

Then  Bear  said,  ' '  There  are  many.  I  do  not  think  I  can  get  them 
all  by  picking.  You  have  many.  Let  me  chew  these  lice  and  your 
hair  with  them.  That  is  the  only  way  I  can  remove  them.  You  have 
many  lice.  I  do  not  think  that  I  have  removed  them  all.  There  are 
manj^.  Stoop  and  I  will  chew  your  hair.  Do  not  be  afraid.  Stoop 
and  let  me  try. ' ' 

Then  Deer  stooped.  She  thought  Bear's  intentions  were  good. 
Bear  examined  her  hair  for  a  while,  and  then  chewed.  Instead  of 
chewing  Deer's  hair,  Bear  bit  her  neck,  killing  her. 

Bear  ate  all  of  Deer,  except  the  liver,  which  she  took  home.  She 
placed  the  liver  in  a  basket  and  put  clover  on  top  of  it.  Then  she  went 
home.  She  proceeded  homeward  after  sundown,  carrying  the  clover 
in  the  basket  with  the  liver  in  the  bottom  of  the  basket. 

Arriving  at  home,  she  told  the  Fawns  to  eat  the  clover.  She  said 
to  them,  "Your  mother  has  not  come  yet;  you  know  she  is  always 
slow.  She  always  takes  her  time  in  coming  home."  Thus  spoke  Bear 
to  the  Fawns,  when  she  arrived  at  home. 

The  Fawns  ate  the  clover.  After  they  had  eaten  it,  they  saw  the 
liver  in  the  bottom  of  the  basket.  The  younger  one  found  it.  She 


288  University  of  California,  Publications  in  Am.  Arch,  and  Ethn.     [Vol.  12 

told  the  older  one,  "Our  aunt  killed  our  mother.  That  is  her  liver." 
The  older  Fawn  said  to  her  younger  sister,  ' '  Our  aunt  took  her  down 
there  and  killed  her.  We  had  better  watch,  or  she  will  kill  us,  too. ' ' 

They  continued  to  eat  the  clover  after  finding  the  liver.  Then 
the  younger  one  said,  "What  shall  we  do?  I  fear  she  will  kill  us,  if 
we  stay  here.  We  had  better  go  to  our  grandfather.  Get  ready  all  of 
our  mother's  awls.  Get  all  of  the  baskets.  Get  ready  and  then  we 
will  go.  We  will  go  before  our  aunt  kills  us.  She  killed  our  mother. 
I  think  it  is  best  for  us  to  go. ' ' 

' '  Do  not  forget  to  take  the  awls, ' '  said  the  older  Fawn,  for  she  was 
afraid  of  being  overtaken  by  Bear.  The  Fawns  started  with  the 
baskets  and  awls,  leaving  one  basket  behind.  Their  aunt,  Bear,  was 
not  at  home  when  they  left.  When  she  returned,  she  looked  about, 
but  saw  no  Fawns.  Then  Bear  discovered  their  tracks  and  set  out 
to  follow  them.  After  she  had  tracked  them  a  short  distance,  the 
basket,  left  at  home,  whistled.  Bear  ran  back  to  see  if  the  Fawns  had 
returned.  In  the  meantime  the  Fawns  proceeded  on  their  journey, 
throwing  awls  and  baskets  in  different  directions.  Again,  Bear  started 
from  the  house.  As  she  proceeded  the  awls  whistled.  Bear,  thinking 
that  the  Fawns  were  whistling,  left  the  trail  in  search  of  them. 

The  Fawns  said,  ' '  We  go  to  our  grandfather. ' ' 

As  Bear  followed  them  along  the  trail,  the  baskets  and  awls 
whistled  and  delayed  her.  Whenever  Bear  heard  the  whistles,  she 
became  angry  and  ran  in  the  direction  from  which  the  sound  pro- 
ceeded. She  of  course  saw  nothing  and  returned  to  the  trail.  She 
heard  a  whistle  in  the  direction  of  the  stream.  She  ran  toward  it,  but 
when  she  arrived  there,  saw  nothing. 

When  she  did  not  find  the  girls  she  became  angry.  She  said, 
' '  Those  girls  are  making  fun  of  me. ' '  Then  she  shouted,  ' '  Where  are 
you,  girls?  Why  don't  you  meet  me?"  The  awls  only  whistled  in 
response  and  Bear  ran  toward  the  sound.  Then  she  became  still 
angrier  and  said  to  herself,  "If  I  capture  you  girls,  I  will  eat  you. 
If  I  find  you  girls,  I  will  eat  you. ' ' 

Bear  continued  to  track  the  Fawns.  She  found  the  trail  easily 
and  saw  their  tracks  upon  it.  'She  said,  "I  have  found  the  marks  that 
will  lead  me  to  them."  She  followed  the  marks  upon  the  trail.  "If 
I  catch  them,  I  shall  eat  them."  She  heard  more  whistling  and  that 
enraged  her.  Then  she  jumped  on  to  a  tree  and  bit  a  limb  in  two. 
It  made  her  furious  to  hear  the  whistling.  She  said  to  herself,  "  If  I 
ever  catch  those  girls,  I  shall  eat  them."  The  baskets  continued  to 


1917]  Gifford:  Miwolc  Myths  289 

whistle  on  both  sides  of  the  trail,  making  her  very  angry,  and  retard- 
ing her  progress.  The  Fawns  had  many  baskets. 

They  followed  the  long  trail  until  they  arrived  at  a  river.  Bear 
was  far  behind.  On  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  they  saw  their 
grandfather,  Daddy  Longlegs.  They  told  him  that  Bear  had  eaten 
their  mother  and  that  they  wanted  to  cross  the  river  in  order  to  escape 
from  her.  Their  grandfather  extended  his  leg  across  the  river  so  that 
they  might  walk  across  on  it.  Then  they  crossed  on  their  grand- 
father's leg.  In  the  meantime  Bear  continued  to  track  them.  She 
still  followed  false  leads  because  of  the  whistling  of  the  baskets  and 
awls.  The  following  of  false  leads  delayed  her. 

The  Fawns  said  to  their  grandfather,  Daddy  Longlegs,  "Let  her 
cross  the  river.  She  follows  us."  Bear  was  still  coming  along  the 
trail.  The  baskets,  the  soap-root  brushes,  and  the  awls  continued  to 
whistle,  causing  her  delay.  The  Fawns  had  many  baskets,  soap-root 
brushes,  and  awls. 

After  the  Fawns  had  crossed  the  river,  Bear  arrived  at  the  bank. 
She  asked  Daddy  Longlegs,  ' '  Did  the  girls  come  by  this  place  ? ' '  He 
replied,  "Yes."  Then  Bear  told  Daddy  Longlegs,  "The  girls  ran 
away  from  me."  Daddy  Longlegs  asked,  ""Where  is  their  mother?" 
Bear  replied,  "Their  mother  is  sick.  That  is  why  she  did  not  come, 
and  that  is  why  I  seek  the  girls.  She  told  me  to  bring  them  back." 

Bear  then  asked  Daddy  Longlegs  to  put  his  leg  across  the  river, 
so  that  she  might  cross.  He  said,  "All  right,"  and  stretched  his  leg 
across  the  river.  Then  Bear  walked  on  Daddy  Longlegs'  leg.  When 
she  reached  the  middle,  Daddy  Longlegs  gave  a  sudden  spring  and 
threw  her  into  the  air.  She  fell  into  the  river,  and  had  to  swim 
to  the  opposite  shore. 

She  found  again  the  track  of  the  Fawns.  Wherever  the  track  was 
plain  she  ran  rapidly  to  make  up  for  the  time  lost.  The  numerous 
awls,  which  the  Fawns  had  thrown  to  each  side  of  the  trail,  whistled 
as  before. 

"Hurry,  sister,  we  near  our  grandfather's  (Lizard's)  house,"  said 
the  older  Fawn  to  the  younger.  Bear  became  exceedingly  angry  and 
shouted  in  her  rage. 

"Hurry,  she  comes;  hurry,  sister,  she  comes.  We  would  not  like 
to  have  her  catch  us  before  we  reached  our  grandfather's,"  said  the 
older  Fawn.  Then  the  Fawns  threw  awls  and  baskets  to  each  side 
of  the  trail  anew.  As  they  approached  their  grandfather's  house, 
Bear  gained  upon  them.  As  Bear  saw  them  nearing  their  grand- 
father's she  shouted  again  in  her  anger. 


290  University  of  California  Publications  in  Am.  Arch,  and  Etlm.     [Vol.  12 

The  Fawns  at  last  arrived  at  their  grandfather's  assembly  house 
and  asked  him  to  open  the  door.  The  grandfather  told  the  Fawns, 
' '  My  door  is  on  the  north  side  of  the  house. ' '  The  Fawns  ran  to  the 
north  side,  but  found  no  door.  Then  they  called  again,  "Hurry, 
grandfather,  open  the  door."  He  said,  "My  door  is  on  the  east  side 
of  the  house."  Then  they  ran  to  the  east  side,  but  found  no  door. 
Then  they  ran  around  the  house.  They  found  no  door.  They  called 
again  to  their  grandfather.  He  said,  "My  door  is  at  the  top  of  the 
house.  Come  in  through  the  top. ' ' 

The  Fawns  climbed  to  the  top  of  the  house  and  entered  through 
the  smoke  hole.  Their  grandfather  asked  why  they  had  come  to  see 
him.  The  Fawns  told  him,  "Bear  killed  our  mother."  The  grand- 
father asked,  "Where  is  Bear?" 

The  Fawns  said,  "Bear  took  our  mother  down  to  the  clover.  She 
ate  mother  there.  Then  she  returned  to  the  house  and  told  us  to 
eat  the  clover  which  she  brought.  While  we  were  eating  the  clover 
from  the  basket,  we  found  the  liver  of  our  mother  in  the  bottom 
under  the  clover,  found  our  mother 's  liver  at  the  bottom  of  the  basket. 
The  clover  was  on  top  of  it. ' '  Thus  spoke  the  Fawns  to  their  grand- 
father. He  asked  them  again,  "Where  is  Bear?" 

The  Fawns  replied,  ' '  She  follows  us.    She  comes.    Yes,  she  comes. ' ' 

Then  Lizard,  their  grandfather,  threw  two  large  white  stones  into 
the  fire.  The  Fawns  sat  by  and  watched  him  while  he  heated  the 
two  white  stones.  While  he  heated  the  stones,  Bear  came.  She  had 
followed  the  tracks  of  the  Fawns  to  their  grandfather's  assembly 
house.  Bear  said  to  herself,  "I  think  they  went  to  their  grand- 
father's." Meanwhile  Lizard  heated  the  white  stones. 

After  looking  around  the  assembly  house,  Bear  called  to  Lizard, 
"Did  the  Fawns  come  here?"  Lizard  said,  "Yes.  Why?"  "Well, 
I  wish  to  take  them  home,"  said  Bear.  Lizard  asked.  "Why  do  you 
wish  to  take  them  home  ? ' '  Then  Bear  replied,  ' '  I  wish  to  take  them 
home  to  their  mother.  Where  is  your  door  ? ' ' 

Lizard  told  her  that  the  door  was  on  the  north  side  of  the  assembly 
house.  She  ran  to  the  north  side,  but  found  no  door.  She  called 
again,  ' '  Where  is  the  door  ? "  "  It  is  on  the  west  side  of  my  assembly 
house,"  said  Lizard.  Bear  was  very  angry,  but  she  ran  to  the  west 
side  of  the  house.  She  found  no  door  there,  so  she  asked  again. 
Lizard  said,  "It  is  on  the  east  side  of  my  assembly  house."  Again 
she  found  no  door,  and  she  became  exceedingly  angry  and  asked  him 
crossly,  "Where  is  the  door?"  Lizard  replied,  "Run  around  the 


1917]  Gifford:  Miwok  Myths  291 

assembly  house  and  you  will  find  it."  She  ran  around  the  house 
four  times,  but  to  no  avail.  In  more  of  a  rage  than  ever,  she  asked 
Lizard,  "Where  is  your  door?"  Then  Lizard  told  her  that  it  was 
at  the  top  of  the  assembly  house.  Bear  climbed  to  the  top  and  found 
the  opening. 

Upon  finding  the  opening,  she  shouted  and  said,  ' '  I  shall  eat  those 
girls."  Lizard  only  laughed.  Bear  asked  how  she  should  enter. 
Lizard  said,  "Shut  your  eyes  tight  and  open  your  mouth  wide,  then 
you  enter  the  quicker. ' ' 

Bear  shut  her  eyes  tight  and  shoved  her  head  through  the  smoke 
hole  with  her  mouth  wide  open.  Lizard  called  to  her,  "Wider." 
Then  Lizard  threw  those  two  white  stones,  which  he  had  heated,  and 
threw  one  of  them  into  her  mouth.  It  rolled  into  her  stomach.  He 
threw  the  second  one.  It  remained  in  her  mouth.  Bear  rolled  from 
the  top  of  the  assembly  house  dead. 

Lizard  told  his  granddaughters,  "She  is  dead."  Then  Lizard 
went  outside  and  skinned  Bear.  After  skinning  her,  he  dressed  the 
hide  well.  He  cut  it  into  two  pieces,  making  one  small  piece  and  one 
large  piece. 

He  gave  the  large  hide  to  the  older  Fawn  and  the  small  hide  to 
the  younger.  He  said  to  them,  "Take  care  of  those  hides."  Then 
he  told  the  older  Fawn  to  run  and  discover  what  sort  of  a  sound  the 
hide  made  when  she  ran.  The  older  Fawn  ran  and  the  sound  was 
very  loud.  Then  Lizard  told  the  younger  Fawn  to  run.  Her  hide 
made  a  fairly  loud  sound,  but  not  so  loud  as  that  of  the  older  Fawn. 

Old  Lizard  laughed,  saying,  "The  younger  one  is  stronger  than 
the  older."  Then  he  told  them  to  run  together.  He  pointed  to  a 
large  tree  and  told  them  to  try  their  strength  against  the  tree.  The 
older  one  tried  first.  She  ran  against  it,  splintering  it  a  little.  Then 
the  younger  girl  ran  against  the  tree  at  its  thickest  part.  She  smashed 
it  to  pieces. 

Lizard  laughed  again  and  said,  "You  are  stronger  than  your 
sister."  Then  he  told  both  to  run  together.  They  ran  about  and 
kicked  the  tree  all  day  long.  Lizard  returned  home  and,  upon  arriv- 
ing there,  said,  "The  girls  are  all  right.  I  think  I  had  better  send 
them  above." 

The  Fawns  said  to  Lizard,  "We  are  going  home."  Lizard  asked 
them  not  to  go.  He  said,  "I  shall  get  you  both  a  good  place.  I  am 
going  to  send  you  girls  above."  Then  the  girls  went  up.  They 
ran  around  above  and  Lizard  heard  them  running.  He  called  them 


292  University  of  California  Publications  in  Am.  Arch,  and  Ethn.     [Vol.  12 

Thunders.  He  said,  "I  think  it  is  better  for  them  to  stay  there. 
They  will  be  better  off  there. ' '  Lizard  closed  the  door  of  his  assembly 
house.  Rain  began  to  fall.  The  girls  ran  around  on  the  top,  and  rain 
and  hail  fell. 


3.     YAYALI,  THE  GIANT 

The  Giant  walked  from  below.  He  shouted  as  he  journeyed  up 
the  mountain,  shouted  all  of  the  way.  He  shouted  to  the  people  as 
he  searched  for  them,  shouted  all  around  the  hills. 

Chipmunk  answered  him.  Chipmunk  told  the  people  that  some- 
one was  coming  up  the  mountain  shouting.  "Perhaps  he  comes  to 
tell  us  something, ' '  said  Chipmunk.  ' '  I  shall  meet  him. ' '  Chipmunk 
said  to  his  wife,  "I  think  your  brother  comes.  I  shall  meet  him,  for 
I  think  he  comes. ' ' 

It  was  raining  heavily  when  Chipmunk  went  to  meet  the  new- 
comer. Chipmunk  called  to  him,  ' '  Come,  tell  us  who  you  are. ' '  The 
Giant  answered  Chipmunk  by  saying,  "There  is  my  meat."  Chip- 
munk again  answered  the  Giant 's  call,  for  he  thought  that  his  brother- 
in-law  was  coming. 

Chipmunk  at  last  realized  that  the  newcomer  was  not  his  brother- 
in-law,  and  he  said  to  himself,  "I  have  found  someone.  I  have  met 
someone.  He  is  not  my  brother-in-law. ' '  When  Chipmunk  saw  the 
burden  basket  on  the  back  of  the  Giant,  he  knew  that  he  was  not  his 
brother-in-law.  Chipmunk  said  to  himself,  "I  do  not  think  I  will 
go  anywhere  now.  I  do  not  think  I  will  be  able  to  reach  home. ' '  Just 
then  the  Giant  approached  him  and  asked  him  where  he  was  going. 
Chipmunk  replied,  "My  assembly  house  is  over  there."  The  Giant 
said,  ' '  Go  ahead  and  I  will  go  with  you. ' ' 

Upon  arriving  at  the  house,  Chipmunk  told  the  Giant  to  enter 
ahead  of  him,  while  he  obtained  wood  and  built  a  fire.  The  Giant 
insisted,  however,  that  Chipmunk  take  the  lead,  saying  that  he  was 
not  a  member  of  the  family.  ' '  You  are  the  owner  of  the  house, ' '  said 
the  Giant.  "You  lead  into  your  own  house.  I  am  not  the  owner  of 
it."  Chipmunk  demurred  and  asked  the  Giant  to  go  ahead.  "Take 
the  lead,  or  you  will  freeze,"  he  said  to  the  Giant.  "You  have  been 
in  the  rain  and  have  become  wet.  I  will  build  a  fire  for  you. ' ' 

Chipmunk's  insistence  was  of  no  avail.  Again  the  Giant  said, 
"You  take  the  lead.  You  are  the  owner  of  the  house."  Then  Chip- 
munk, to  save  further  argument,  led  the  way  into  the  house.  The 


1917]  Gifford:  Miwok  Myths  293 

Giant  followed  him.  As  they  approached  the  door,  the  Giant  reached 
into  his  basket,  securing  a  stone.  He  threw  the  stone  at  Chipmunk, 
striking  him  on  the  back  and  killing  him. 

After  he  had  killed  Chipmunk,  the  Giant  told  Chipmunk's  wife 
to  help  him  bring  in  the  meat.  He  then  made  himself  at  home  and 
married  Chipmunk's  widow.  He  cooked  Chipmunk,  the  owner  of  the 
house,  whom  he  had  killed.  He  told  his  new  wife  to  eat  of  Chip- 
munk's flesh  after  he  had  cooked  it.  She  said,  "You  eat  it."  The 
Giant  insisted,  ' '  You  eat  it,  you  eat  it. ' ' 

After  the  Giant  left  the  house,  his  wife  (Chipmunk's  widow)  dug 
a  hole  in  the  ground.  She  placed  in  the  hole  her  daughter  by  Chip- 
munk. She  fed  the  little  girl  with  deer  meat. 

The  Giant  returned  at  sundown.  He  had  in  his  basket  many 
people,  whom  he  had  killed.  When  he  entered  the  house,  he  said 
to  his  wife,  "We  will  not  starve.  We  have  plenty  of  meat."  The 
woman  told  the  Giant  to  eat  the  human  flesh  himself.  She  cooked 
deer  meat  for  herself.  She  ate  the  deer  meat.  The  Giant  ate  the 
people  whom  he  had  killed. 

The  Giant's  wife  cooked  deer  meat,  with  which  she  fed  her 
daughter,  whom  she  had  hidden  in  the  pit.  She  did  not  wish  the 
Giant  to  see  her  daughter,  for  fear  that  he  might  eat  her. 

As  the  Giant  departed  the  next  morning,  he  said  to  his  wife,  "You 
have  a  better  husband  than  you  had  before.  He  obtains  more  meat 
than  your  former  husband,  Chipmunk.  I  go  now  to  get  you  more 
meat."  He  proceeded  into  the  hills  in  search  of  more  people.  He 
told  his  wife  before  he  left,  that  he  would  be  back  at  sundown.  As  he 
departed  he  rolled  a  big  boulder  against  the  door,  so  that  his  wife 
might  not  escape.  He  rolled  large  boulders  against  both  ends  of  the 
assembly  house,  and  also  one  over  the  smoke  hole  at  the  top  of  the 
assembly  house,  where  the  smoke  emerges.  He  closed  the  doors  tightly 
with  large  boulders.  After  he  had  closed  the  doors,  he  went  into  the 
hills  to  capture  more  victims.  He  returned  with  a  load  of  people  in 
his  basket.  He  had  captured  many  large,  fat  people  for  his  wife. 
He  rolled  the  boulders  aside  and  entered  the  house. 

While  he  was  away,  his  wife  had  cooked  deer  meat.  The  Giant 
wished  to  feed  his  wife  upon  fat  people.  He  told  her  to  eat  the  flesh 
of  fat  people.  She  said,  "Yes,"  but  instead  she  ate  deer  meat.  The 
Giant  thought  that  she  ate  the  fat  people,  but  instead  she  ate  deer 
meat.  He  threw  away  some  of  the  human  flesh,  because  he  could  not 
eat  it  all.  Again  he  obtained  more  fat  people  and  cooked  them.  He 


294  University  of  California  Publications  in  Am.  Arch,  and  Ethn.     [Vol.  12 

told  his  wife  to  eat  the  flesh  of  the  fat  people.  He  said,  "If  you  do 
not  eat  them,  I  will  kill  you."  He  said,  "I  think  you  have  a  very 
good  husband.  He  always  obtains  plenty  of  meat,  when  he  hunts. 
He  never  misses  a  person  with  his  stone."  Again  he  returned  with 
a  large  load  of  victims,  whom  he  cooked  for  his  wife.  He  cooked,  and 
he  cooked,  and  he  cooked.  When  it  became  dark  he  danced.  He  was 
so  tall  that  his  head  projected  through  the  smoke  hole  of  the  assembly 
house. 

The  Giant's  wife  gave  birth  to  two  boy  babies.  Both  of  them  were 
little  giants.  She  wished  to  kill  them,  but  she  feared  that  the  Giant 
would  avenge  their  deaths.  She  fed 'them  and  they  grew.  All  the 
while  she  kept  Chipmunk's  daughter  in  the  pit.  She  fed  her  con- 
tinually with  deer  meat.  By  the  Giant,  she  bore  two  little  giants. 

When  the  Giant  departed  for  the  day,  she  took  her  daughter  from 
the  pit,  and  held  her  in  her  lap,  while  the  two  little  giants  slept. 
She  cried  all  day,  when  the  Giant  was  away.  She  mourned  for  poor 
Chipmunk.  She  feared  the  Giant,  but  she  could  not  escape,  because 
the  boulders,  which  the  Giant  put  against  the  doors,  were  too  heavy 
for  her  to  push  away.  So  each  day  she  sat  in  the  house  and  cried. 

"You  eat  them.  This  is  the  meat  which  I  cooked  for  you.  You 
eat  them.  This  is  the  best  one.  I  selected  it  for  you."  The  woman 
replied,  "Yes."  Then  the  Giant  danced.  He  danced.  He  danced. 
His  head  went  through  the  smoke  hole,  when  he  danced.  When  he 
felt  happy  he  danced,  his  head  going  through  the  smoke  hole. 

He  told  his  wife,  "Care  for  my  sons.  Don't  lose  them.  Care  for 
my  sons.  Do  not  fear  hunger,  for  I  will  always  bring  you  plenty  of 
meat.  I  am  always  sure  to  obtain  meat  when  I  hunt."  He  went  into 
the  hills  again  in  the  morning  to  capture  more  women  and  boys  and 
men.  He  killed  everybody,  old  people,  young  people,  girls,  and  men. 
He  killed  so  many  that  he  filled  his  basket  in  a  very  short  time.  His 
wife,  however,  had  plenty  of  deer  meat  which  Chipmunk  had  obtained 
for  her. 

Every  night,  when  the  Giant  came  home,  he  danced.  After  he 
had  danced,  he  cooked  the  meat  for  his  wife,  giving  her  old  men  and 
old  women.  He  took  for  himself  the  young  people.  When  he  came 
home,  he  brought  pine  nuts  with  his  victims.  The  old  white-shelled 
pine  nuts,  that  were  worthless,  he  cracked  and  gave  to  his  wife,  "Eat 
these  pine  nuts.  Here  are  plenty  of  pine  nuts.  You  will  not  become 
hungry,  if  you  stay  with  me.  Thus  he  spoke  to  his  wife,  when  he 
came  home  each  night.  He  said  to  her,  "Eat  these  pine  nuts,  for  I 


1917]  Gifford:  Miwok  Myths  295 

perceive  that  you  are  hungry."  His  wife  said,  "Yes."  However, 
she  deceived  him,  for  she  did  not  eat  the  pine  nuts.  When  he  was 
not  looking,  she  threw  them  away.  She  threw  them  away,  when  he 
was  not  looking.  At  the  same  time,  she  made  believe  that  she  ate  the 
pine  nuts.  She  ate  only  pine  nuts  which  Chipmunk  had  obtained  for 
her.  She  did  not  eat  those  which  the  Giant  brought  to  her.  Each  time 
that  the  Giant  went  away,  she  ate  from  her  own  stock  of  pine  nuts, 
which  Chipmunk  had  collected  for  her. 

The  old  women  and  the  fat  women  that  the  Giant  obtained,  he 
brought  to  his  wife;  also  those  women  who  were  pregnant.  He  said 
to  his  wife,  "Eat.  Eat  well."  His  wife  replied,  "Yes,  I  am  eating 
them. ' '  Yet  all  the  time  she  deceived  him. 

Again  he  went  into  the  hills  to  hunt  people.  He  travelled  all  over 
the  country  in  his  search.  When  he  returned,  he  brought  a  large  load 
of  people.  Upon  his  arrival,  he  cooked  the  old  women  for  his  wife. 
Then  he  danced  outside  of  the  assembly  house.  Afterwards  he  danced 
inside.  His  wife  did  not  eat  the  old  women  whom  he  cooked  for  her. 
She  said,  "Yes,  I  am  eating,"  but  she  always  deceived  him.  She 
worried  every  day,  for  fear  that  the  Giant  would  kill  her.  That  which 
he  cooked  for  her  she  put  into  a  hole,  making  believe,  however,  that 
she  ate  it.  Instead,  she  ate  deer  meat.  The  Giant  thought  that  she 
ate  the  persons  whom  he  cooked  for  her. 

The  deer  meat,  which  she  cooked  each  day  while  the  Giant  was 
absent,  she  fed  to  her  daughter  in  the  pit.  Each  day,  when  she  took 
her  daughter  from  the  pit,  she  cried.  She  felt  sorry  for  the  girl, 
because  her  father  had  been  cooked  in  the  fire.  The  thought  of  Chip- 
munk's sad  end  depressed  her  and  made  her  cry  all  day,  while  the 
Giant  was  away.  When  the  Giant  returned  in  the  evening,  she  hid 
her  daughter  in  the  pit.  She  herself  lay  over  the  pit,  so  that  the 
Giant  would  not  find  her  daughter.  She  sat  over  the  pit,  so  that  the 
Giant  would  not  take  the  girl.  The  two  sons  of  the  Giant  lay  in  the 
corners  of  the  house.  The  Giant  changed  them  from  corner  to  corner, 
when  he  came  home.  The  boys  never  cried.  They  laughed  all  the 
time.  That  is  all  that  they  did. 

Chipmunk's  brothers  below  dreamed  about  him.  One  of  them 
said,  "I  think  I  will  visit  him.  I  will  see  how  he  fares.  I  dreamed 
that  he  was  sick."  So  spoke  one  of  Chipmunk's  brothers  after  he 
dreamed  about  him.  He  told  no  one  that  he  was  leaving,  but  pro- 
ceeded secretly  into  the  mountains.  He  did  not  follow  the  regular 
trail,  but  went  through  the  brush,  passing  through  the  high  moun- 


296  University  of  California  Publications  in  Am.  Arch,  and  Ethn.     [Vol.  12 

tains.  He  spoke  to  no  one  of  his  proposed  visit.  He  did  not  hasten, 
but  travelled  slowly  toward  his  brother's  home. 

At  last  he  arrived  at  Chipmunk's  assembly-house.  He  said  to  his 
sister-in-law,  "I  am  coming.  Why  are  these  large  boulders  against 
the  door  ? ' '  Then  his  sister-in-law  answered  him  from  within,  saying, 
"Come  in.  The  Giant  killed  your  brother.  He  closes  the  door  with 
those  large  boulders  each  time  he  goes  out."  Thus  did  his  sister-in- 
law  answer  him,  when  he  arrived  at  her  house. 

Then  he  rolled  aside  the  boulders  at  each  end  of  the  house.  His 
sister-in-law  said  to  him  after  he  entered,  "The  Giant  killed  your 
brother.  Just  see  us.  There  are  the  Giant 's  two  sons. ' '  Her  brother- 
in-law  then  inquired  about  her  daughter.  "Where  is  my  brother's 
girl?"  he  said.  The  woman  replied,  "She  is  in  this  hole.  I  did  not 
want  the  Giant  to  see  her."  Thus  spoke  his  sister-in-law,  when  she 
answered  him. 

Chipmunk's  brother  asked  his  sister-in-law  when  the  Giant  would 
return.  She  said,  "Sometimes  he  returns  after  sundown,  sometimes 
before  sundown.  Today  he  went  far  and  will  not  return  until  to- 
morrow morning." 

Then  her  brother-in-law  told  her  to  crush  some  obsidian.  He  said, 
"You  can  go  home.  The  Giant  has  many  brothers.  If  they  overtake 
you,  and  try  to  catch  you,  while  you  are  on  your  way  home,  throw 
the  crushed  obsidian  in  their  faces.  I  shall  not  go.  I  shall  remain 
here." 

She  crushed  obsidian  and  placed  it  on  a  deer  hide.  After  she 
crushed  it,  her  brother-in-law  told  her  to  start  for  home.  He  warned 
her  especially  not  to  lose  the  obsidian.  ' '  If  they  catch  you, ' '  he  said, 
' '  you  can  use  it.  Throw  it  in  their  eyes. ' '  He  then  proceeded  to  dig 
holes  in  different  directions. 

Following  his  advice  she  started.  Meanwhile  he  dug  holes,  one 
toward  the  south,  one  toward  the  east,  one  toward  the  north,  and 
one  toward  the  west.  He  dug  them  so  that  he  might  conceal  himself 
and  dodge  from  one  to  the  other  in  case  he  were  pursued.  He  made 
holes  all  around  the  assembly  house,  both  inside  and  outside.  After 
he  had  finished  digging  the  holes,  he  did  nothing.  He  rested  and 
walked  about  outside  of  the  assembly  house. 

He  thought  about  the  Giant  and  wondered  when  he  would  return. 
He  went  into  the  hills  and  cut  a  manzanita  stick,  sharpening  one  edge 
of  it.  He  worked  upon  it  all  day,  making  it  sharp.  His  sister-in-law 


1917]  Gifford:   Miwok  Myths  297 

told  him  to  be  careful  with  it.  He  asked  her  what  the  Giant  did 
when  he  came  home.  She  told  him  that  the  Giant  always  danced,  and 
that  every  time  he  danced,  his  head  projected  through  the  smoke  hole, 
his  head  projected  through  the  smoke  hole  at  the  top  of  the  house. 
Chipmunk's  brother  said,  "All  right."  He  finally  finished  sharpen- 
ing the  manzanita  stick,  making  it  very  sharp. 

Then  he  walked  around,  he  walked  around.  While  he  watched  the 
Giant  came  over  the  hill.  He  said  to  himself,  "I  think  that  is  he 
coming  now."  He  stood  outside  and  watched  the  Giant.  As  the 
Giant  approached  the  house,  Chipmunk's  brother  stepped  inside.  The 
Giant  saw  him  and  said,  ' '  There  is  another  victim.  There  is  another 
victim."  The  Giant  was  glad  that  he  had  another  person  to  kill. 
The  Giant  followed  close  behind  him  into  the  house. 

Chipmunk's  brother  had  killed  the  two  young  giants.  He  gouged 
out  their  eyes  after  he  killed  them  and  threw  their  eyes  into  the  fire, 
putting  one  in  each  corner.  Before  his  sister-in-law  had  left,  he  had 
asked  her  where  the  young  giants  kept  their  hearts.  She  had  told 
him,  "In  the  ankle,"  and  that  is  where  he  hit  them  with  the  stick, 
when  he  killed  them.  After  he  had  thrown  their  eyes  into  the  fire,  he 
went  outside.  The  young  giants  were  in  each  corner  beside  the  fire. 
The  two  young  giants  were  dead. 

Chipmunk's  brother  now  talked  to  the  Giant.  He  asked  him, 
"What  do  you  do  first,  when  you  come  home?"  The  Giant  replied, 
"I  dance.  Just  watch  me  dance." 

Then  Chipmunk's  brother  went  into  his  holes  and  came  forth  in 
different  places.  The  Giant  tried  to  catch  him  and  followed  him 
about,  but  Chipmunk's  brother  was  too  quick  for  him  and  dodged  into 
the  holes.  The  Giant  chased  him  around  the  assembly  house.  Every 
time  that  the  Giant  neared  him,  he  jumped  into  a  hole,  appearing 
again  in  another  part  of  the  house. 

He  told  the  Giant, ' '  You  cannot  catch  me  unless  you  dance.  After 
you  dance,  I  will  let  you  catch  me.  I  want  to  see  you  dance  first. ' ' 

Chipmunk's  brother  stayed  outside,  while  the  Giant  danced.  He 
shouted  at  the  Giant  and  said,  "Dance  more.  Jump  higher  through 
that  smoke  hole.  I  like  to  see  you  dance. ' ' 

The  Giant  did  as  Chipmunk's  brother  told  him.  While  he  danced, 
Chipmunk's  brother  with  his  manzanita  stick  climbed  on  top  of  the 
assembly  house.  Suddenly  he  struck  the  Giant  across  the  neck,  decapi- 
tating him.  The  head  rolled  down  close  to  the  spring  near  the  house 


298  University  of  California,  Publications  in  Am.  Arch,  and  Ethn.     [Vol.  12 

and  the  body  of  the  Giant  collapsed  inside  of  the  house.  Chipmunk's 
brother  then  cut  the  Giant  to  pieces  and  scattered  the  flesh  over  the 
trees,  on  top  of  the  rocks,  and  inside  of  the  assembly  house. 

One  of  the  Giant's  brothers  dreamed.  He  dreamed  that  his 
brother  was  obtaining  plenty  of  meat.  He  said  to  the  other  brothers 
of  the  Giant,  "Let  us  visit  our  brother.  He  is  married  now  and 
obtains  plenty  of  meat  every  day. ' ' 

Then  a  large  number  of  the  Giant's  brothers  proceeded  to  the 
Giant's  assembly  house.  When  they  arrived  at  the  house,  they  saw 
the  meat  hanging  on  the  trees.  "Plenty  of  meat,  plenty  of  meat, 
plenty  of  meat.  Our  brother  is  quite  expert  with  his  stone,"  they 
said. 

Then  they  cooked  the  meat  which  they  found  on  the  trees,  not 
knowing  it  was  their  brother's  flesh.  They  thought  that  it  was  the 
flesh  of  various  people  whom  he  had  killed.  Each  of  them  ate  a 
piece.  They  had  all  that  they  wished. 

The  youngest  brother  desired  a  drink,  so  they  searched  for  the 
spring,  which  they  found.  Just  as  the  youngest  one  was  about  to 
drink,  he  noticed  the  head  lying  beside  the  spring.  "We  ate  our 
brother, '  he  said  to  his  older  brothers.  Then  they  all  returned  to  the 
house.  The  youngest  one  said,  ' '  Someone  killed  our  brother. ' ' 

"What  shall  we  cry?"  the  youngest  one  said.  One  of  the  others 
answered,  "Well,  we  will  cry  'oak.'  I  do  not  know  who  killed  our 
brother.  We  do  not  know  whence  the  murderer  came.  Let  us  sleep 
and  dream  about  it. ' ' 

After  sleeping,  they  arose.  The  one  who  had  proposed  that  they 
sleep  pointed  to  the  south.  The  others  did  not  believe  that  the  slayer 
of  their  brother  came  from  that  direction.  Each  of  the  others  said, 
"I  have  not  dreamed  about  him  yet.  Let  us  sleep  again."  Again 
they  awoke  and  the  one  who  had  dreamed  said,  "A  man  from  the 
north  killed  our  brother." 

Again  they  slept,  for  they  did  not  believe  each  other.  One  of  them 
awoke  and  awakened  the  rest.  "A  man  from  the  east  killed  our 
brother, ' '  he  said.  But  they  did  not  believe  him. 

The  youngest  brother,  who  found  the  head  near  the  spring,  started 
to  cry.  The  others  tried  to  stop  him.  He  went  again  to  the  spring 
and  thrust  his  head  into  the  water.  When  he  returned  to  his  brothers, 
he  pretended  that  he  had  cried  more  than  they.  They  thought  that 
the  water  on  him  was  tears.  They  said,  ' '  He  is  the  only  one  who  really 
mourns  for  his  murdered  brother."  Then  they  said,  "Let's  sleep 
again. ' ' 


1917]  Gifford:  Miwok  Myths  299 

The  youngest  brother  dreamed  and  awakened  the  others.  He 
told  them  that  he  dreamed  that  a  man  from  the  west  had  killed  their 
brother.  He  said,  too,  "Our  sister-in-law  is  on  the  way  to  her  father's 
house.  I  surely  dreamed  it." 

.They  all  said,  "Let's  cry."  The  youngest  one  objected,  saying, 
"Let's  sleep  before  we  cry."  Then  he  dreamed  again.  He  dreamed 
that  his  sister-in-law  was  on  the  way  to  her  father's  house. 

"Well,  let's  arise,"  said  the  youngest  brother.  "Let's  try  to 
catch  our  sister-in-law  before  she  reaches  her  father's  home."  Thus 
spoke  the  youngest  brother.  ""We  must  hurry,"  he  said.  "After 
we  have  made  a  good  start,  we  can  slacken  our  pace."  They  all 
proceeded  on  their  way  shouting. 

Chipmunk's  brother  laughed  after  he  killed  the  Giant.  The 
Giant's  brothers  all  ran  and  Chipmunk's  brother  laughed.  Before 
their  sister-in-law  reached  her  father's  house,  the  Giants  overtook  her. 
One  of  them  said,  "Here  is  our  sister-in-law.  You  catch  her,"  he 
said  to  one  of  his  brothers.  As  one  of  them  seized  her,  she  threw  a 
handful  of  crushed  obsidian  into  their  faces.  They  shouted,  for  she 
had  thrown  it  into  their  eyes.  Each  one  said,  "Something  is  in  my 
eyes.  Hurry,  remove  it.  Hurry,  remove  it.  Hurry,  remove  it.  Hurry, 
remove  it. ' '  They  examined  each  other 's  eyes  for  the  obsidian.  They 
looked  and  looked  and  looked.  While  they  were  examining  each 
other's  eyes,  their  sister-in-law  left  them.  Again  they  pursued  her 
and  overtook  her  before  she  reached  her  father's  house.  They  said 
to  each  other,  "Catch  her,  catch  her,  catch  her." 

One  of  them  caught  her.  Again  she  threw  the  crushed  obsidian. 
She  threw  it  into  his  face  before  he  caught  her.  "I  have  something 
in  my  eye,"  he  said.  "I  have  something  in  my  eye.  I  have  some- 
thing in  my  eye.  I  have  something  in  my  eye."  Again  they  exam- 
ined each  other's  eyes  to  remove  the  crushed  obsidian.  They  looked 
and  looked  and  looked. 

Again  they  followed  her.  They  said,  "Let's  hurry.  Let's  catch 
her  before  she  reaches  home.  Hurry.  She  has  her  daughter  on  her 
back."  Then  they  ran.  They  ran  to  catch  her.  Just  as  they  were 
about  to  seize  her,  she  threw  the  crushed  obsidian  in  their  faces  again. 
Each  of  them  said,  "She  has  thrown  something  into  my  eyes."  Then 
while  they  examined  each  other's  eyes,  she  escaped. 

After  they  had  removed  the  obsidian  from  their  eyes,  they  said, 
"Hurry.  Let's  catch  her."  Then  they  ran.  "Catch  our  sister-in- 
law.  Hurry, ' '  they  said.  When  they  attempted  to  capture  her  again, 


300  University  of  California  Publications  in  Am.  Arch,  and  Etlin.     [Vol.  12 

she  threw  the  obsidian  in  their  eyes.  "Something  has  come  into  my 
eyes.  Something  has  come  into  my  eyes.  Something  has  come  into 
my  eyes.  Hurry,  remove  it,"  each  one  said.  "Hurry,  so  that  we 
may  catch  her."  They  ran  after  her  again.  Every  time  they  ran 
they  shouted.  Once  more  she  threw  the  obsidian  in  their  faces  and 
one  of  them  got  it  in  his  eyes.  Again  she  ran  and  they  pursued  her. 
They  said,  "We  will  catch  her  and  hold  her  this  time.  She  will  soon 
exhaust  her  obsidian."  Again  she  threw  the  obsidian  in  their  faces, 
when  they  tried  to  lay  hands  on  her.  She  threw  it  into  their  eyes. 
Then  they  looked  into  each  other's  eyes  and  removed  the  pieces. 

"Hurry,"  they  said,  "so  that  we  may  catch  our  sister-in-law." 
Then  they  ran.  Once  more  she  threw  obsidian  in  their  eyes,  when  they 
were  about  to  seize  her.  Again  she  ran  and  this  time  they  were  close 
behind  her.  They  shouted  continually,  while  they  ran.  "When  they 
attempted  to  seize  her  again,  she  threw  the  crushed  obsidian  in  their 
eyes.  They  looked  in  each  other's  eyes  and  removed  the  obsidian. 
This  delayed  them  and  prevented  them  from  capturing  her.  Again 
they  said,  "Hurry,  so  that  we  may  catch  our  sister-in-law."  Once 
more  they  caught  her  and  she  threw  the  obsidian  in  their  eyes. 

"She  approaches  her  father's  home.  Hurry,  that  we  may  catch 
our  sister-in-law,"  they  said.  They  ran.  The  woman  had  not  lost 
her  daughter,  while  she  was  running.  When  the  giants  overtook  her 
again,  she  once  more  threw  obsidian  in  their  eyes. 

The  woman  said  to  her  daughter,  "We  will  reach  home  safely. 
We  will  reach  your  grandfather's.  Hurry  and  do  not  become  tired. 
Hurry,  or  they  will  catch  us. ' '  In  the  meantime  the  Giant 's  brothers 
were  drawing  closer  to  her.  When  they  went  to  catch  her,  she  again 
threw  the  obsidian  into  their  eyes.  They  examined  each  other's  eyes 
and  removed  the  crushed  obsidian.  She  escaped  from  them  again, 
while  they  were  removing  it.  She  had  very  little  obsidian  left,  but 
she  was  nearing  her  father's  house.  She  was  approaching  it,  while 
the  Giants  picked  the  obsidian  from  each  other 's  eyes.  ' '  We  are  near- 
ing  home,"  she  told  her  daughter,  "so  do  not  be  frightened.  Your 
grandfather  (Lizard)  will  save  us  when  we  arrive  there." 

The  giants  ran  close  behind  her,  shouting  as  they  ran.  They 
stopped  frequently  to  dance  and  to  sing.  Then  they  would  run  after 
her  to  catch  her.  When  they  were  about  to  catch  her,  she  threw  the 
crushed  obsidian  at  them. 

She  drew  near  her  father's  house.  The  Giants  ran  after  her,  say- 
ing to  each  other,  "We  must  catch  her  before  she  reaches  home." 


1917]  Gifford:  MiwoTc  Myths  301 

When  they  had  nearly  captured  her,  she  threw  the  crushed  obsidian 
in  their  eyes.  That  was  the  only  way  she  could  escape  from  them. 
At  last  she  reached  the  house. 

She  called  to  her  father  to  open  the  door.  She  said,  "A  Giant 
killed  your  son-in-law.  Hurry,  open  the  door.  The  Giant  ate  your 
son-in-law. ' '  Thus  she  called  to  her  father.  Then  he  opened  the  door, 
which  was  a  large  rock.  After  his  daughter  had  stepped  inside,  he 
spat  on  the  door  so  that  the  Giant's  brothers  could  not  open  it.  The 
assembly  house  turned  into  rock,  when  he  spat  upon  the  door,  turned 
into  rock  all  around.  The  Giants  encircled  the  house  several  times 
inquiring  for  the  door.  Lizard  did  not  answer  them.  They  finally 
became  tired  and  sat  down.  Then  they  began  to  sing  and  dance. 
The  old  man  asked  his  daughter,  "Who  are  they?  Who  are  they?" 
She  replied,  "They  are  the  Giant's  brothers."  The  old  man,  her 
father,  said,  "Let  the  wind  blow  them  away.  Let  the  wind  blow 
them  away.  Throw  them  away.  I  do  not  want  them  here."  Then 
a  great  wind  came,  but  the  Giant's  brothers  turned  and  blew  the 
great  wind  back. 

Then  the  old  man  in  the  assembly  house  called  a  great  snow. 
The  great  snow  came  and  covered  everything.  "Come  and  cover 
everything,"  said  the  old  man,  when  he  called  the  snow.  After  the 
snow  had  covered  the  Giants,  they  shouted  and  it  melted.  They 
shouted  and  the  snow  melted.  After  the  snow  melted,  the  old  man 
said,  "It  is  strange  that  they  do  not  mind  me.  What  is  the  matter 
with  them?  It  is  strange  that  they  do  not  mind."  Then  he  called 
the  hail.  He  called  the  hail  to  try  and  force  them  to  go  away.  He 
hoped  that  the  hail  would  chase  them  away.  Thus  spoke  Lizard,  when 
he  called  the  hail.  When  the  hail  started,  the  Giant's  brothers 
shouted.  The  hail  ceased  immediately.  Then  Lizard,  the  woman's 
father,  called  for  a  flood.  He  wished  the  water  to  wash  away  the 
Giant's  brothers.  Thus  spoke  Lizard,  when  he  called  for  the  flood 
to  help  him.  The  flood  came  suddenly  and  washed  away  the  Giant's 
brothers,  before  they  had  an  opportunity  to  shout.  They  did  not 
return,  for  they  were  drowned  by  the  water. 

Then  the  woman  told  Lizard,  her  father,  "The  Giant  killed  my 
daughter's  father.  He  killed  him.  The  Giant  killed  him.  He  ate 
him  after  he  killed  him.  When  the  Giant  came,  we  thought  that  it 
was  Chipmunk's  brother  coming  to  tell  us  something.  I  told  Chip- 
munk to  go  and  meet  him,  when  he  shouted.  I  did  not  know  that  it 
was  a  Giant  coming.  Then  Chipmunk  went  to  meet  the  Giant.  When 


302  University  of  California  Publications  in  Am.  Arch,  and  Ethn.     [Vol.  12 

Chipmunk  approached  the  Giant,  he  shouted  to  him  and  asked  who 
he  was.  The  Giant  replied,  'Come  here.  I  am  here.'  Thus  spoke 
the  Giant,  when  Chipmunk  met  him.  Then  the  Giant  said,  'That  is 
my  meat  over  there.  I  caught  him,  caught  him,  meat. '  Thus  spoke  the 
Giant.  We  knew  nothing  about  the  Giant,  but  thought  that  he  was 
Chipmunk's  brother  coming  for  a  visit.  Then  Chipmunk  brought 
the  Giant  home,  brought  the  Giant  home.  He  feared  the  Giant  and 
tried  to  leave  him  in  the  bills,  but  the  Giant  followed  him.  Chip- 
munk's brother  is  there  now.  He  has  taken  his  dead  brother's  place. 
I  do  not  know  how  he  fares.  He  said  to  me,  'You  go  to  your  father. 
I  will  stay  here.  I  will  stay  here  and  take  my  brother's  place.  I  am 
ready  for  another  Giant. '  ' 

[The  Giant  made  his  home  on  Table  Mountain,  near  Jamestown, 
Tuolumne  County.] 

4.     THE  MAKING  OF  AEEOWS 

' '  What  shall  we  do,  brother  ?  What  shall  we  do  ?  I  would  like  to 
hunt.  I  do  not  know  how  we  are  to  hunt.  I  do  not  know  how  we  are 
to  hunt.  I  do  not  know  how  we  shall  be  able  to  hunt.  I  should  like 
very  much  to  hunt.  I  do  not  know  how  we  can  make  arrows.  We 
have  nothing  with  which  to  cut.  We  know  of  nothing  with  which 
to  cut.  I  do  not  know  how  we  can  hunt.  We  have  nothing  with  which 
to  cut.  We  do  not  know  how  to  cut.  I  would  like  very  much  to  hunt, 
brother.  I  do  not  know  how  we  are  to  arrange  it,  but  we  will  try. 
We  have  nothing  with  which  to  cut.  I  should  like  you  and  me  to  hunt 
together,  brother.  We  have  nothing  with  which  to  hunt." 

"Let  us  throw  our  grandmother  into  the  water.  If  she  does  not 
want  to  go,  we  will  pull  her  in.  We  will  throw  the  old  woman,  our 
grandmother,  into  the  water.  After  you  have  thrown  her  into  the 
water,  pull  her  out  quickly.  Pull  her  out  quickly.  Do  not  keep  her 
in  the  water  long.  Do  not  keep  her  in  the  water  long." 

Then  Dove  went.  Dove  went.  He  threw  his  grandmother  into 
the  water,  threw  her  into  the  water.  After  he  had  thrown  her  into 
the  water,  he  pulled  her  out  quickly.  He  pulled  her  out  quickly. 

Then  Dove  went  to  his  brother  and  said:  "I  threw  her  into  the 
water.  I  have  already  thrown  her  into  the  water.  Come,  I  have 
her." 

His  brother  said  to  him,  "Pull  one  of  her  teeth.  We  will  make 
a  knife  of  it."  Then  he  pulled  one  of  her  teeth,  pulled  one  of  her 
teeth.  After  they  obtained  the  tooth,  they  commenced  to  cut,  com- 
menced to  cut. 


1917]  Gifford:  MiwoJc  Myths  303 

Then  Prairie  Falcon  said,  "Pull  sinew  from  her  arm.  Pull  sinew 
from  her  leg.  We  shall  then  have  the  cord  for  the  bow."  Thus 
spoke  Prairie  Falcon  to  his  brother. 

Dove  obtained  the  sinew,  as  he  was  bid.  Then  they  started  to 
work  on  the  arrows.  They  did  not  know  how  to  begin.  They  made 
the  arrows  just  by  thinking.  They  made  the  bow.  One  of  them  told 
the  other,  "We  will  try."  They  made  a  good  bow.  They  made  a 
good  bow.  Nobody  knew  what  the  bow  was.  No  one  had  ever  seen 
a  bow. 

After  they  completed  it,  they  looked  at  it.  Prairie  Falcon  said 
to  his  brother,  "I  guess  this  will  be  satisfactory  to  hunt  with."  He 
told  his  brother  to  cut  a  piece  of  yellow  pine.  Thus  spoke  Prairie 
Falcon  to  his  brother,  after  they  had  killed  their  grandmother.  Then 
they  cut  the  yellow  pine  with  a  knife  made  from  their  grandmother's 
tooth. 

Their  grandmother  went  into  the  water  and  cried  and  worried 
about  herself.  She  said,  "I  did  not  think  my  boys  would  treat  me 
this  way. ' ' 

The  two  brothers  finished  making  their  arrows  and  bows.  They 
completed  them.  Prairie  Falcon  said,  ' '  These  arrows  are  satisfactory. 
Let  us  try  them."  Thus  spoke  Prairie  Falcon  to  Dove. 

"We  will  see  who  can  shoot  the  farthest."  They  shot  toward  the 
east  end  of  the  world.  The  arrows  struck  in  the  same  place.  The 
arrows  struck  in  the  same  place.  They  did  not  strike  in  different 
places.  They  hit  in  the  same  place.  After  they  had  shot  their 
arrows,  Prairie  Falcon  said,  "Let  us  race.  Let  us  race.  We  will 
run  to  the  place  where  the  arrows  struck.  We  will  see  who  shot  the 
farthest.  We  will  see  who  shot  the  farthest." 

Then  they  ran.  Both  started  at  the  same  time.  Both  started  to- 
gether. They  both  ran  at  the  same  speed.  They  ran  together.  One 
of  them  did  not  gain  on  the  other.  At  last  they  reached  the  arrows. 
They  arrived  at  the  place  where  the  arrows  struck.  Prairie  Falcon 
said  to  Dove,  "You  are  a  pretty  good  runner.  We  both  run  about 
the  same.  Let  us  shoot  again.  Let  us  shoot  again. ' ' 

Then  they  shot  toward  the  west  end  of  the  world.  Again  they 
ran  to  the  place  where  the  arrows  struck.  Neither  won  the  race,  for 
they  both  ran  together.  Prairie  Falcon  said  to  Dove,  "We  run  the 
same.  We  run  the  same.  I  did  not  think  that  you  could  run  so 
fast." 

They  shot  their  arrows  again  toward  the  east.    The  arrows  struck 


304  University  of  California  Publications  in  Am.  Arch,  and  Ethn.     [Vol.  12 

in  one  place.  Then  they  ran.  When  they  arrived  at  the  arrows,  both 
stopped  at  the  same  instant.  They  both  stopped  at  the  same  time. 

They  shot  again  to  the  west  end  of  the  world.  They  shot  toward 
the  west.  Then  they  ran  to  the  place  where  the  arrows  struck.  The 
arrows  struck  in  a  bush.  When  the  brothers  arrived,  they  saw  the 
bush.  One  brother  said  to  the  other,  "Let  us  dig  this  bush.  It  is 
good  to  eat.  Let  us  dig  it. ' '  They  dug  the  bush  from  the  lower  side. 
Then  they  dug,  dug,  dug.  They  were  nearing  the  end  of  the  bush, 
nearing  the  end.  They  ate  the  bush  as  they  dug.  They  ate  while  they 
dug.  The  root  became  thicker  while  they  dug.  They  continued  to 
dig,  continued  to  dig.  The  younger  brother  said  to  the  other,  "Keep 
on  digging.  You  will  find  the  end  pretty  soon.  Keep  on  digging." 
The  older  brother  asked,  "Do  you  see  the  end  yet?"  The  younger 
one  replied,  "I  am  getting  close  to  the  end."  He  continued  to  dig. 
He  continued  to  dig. 

Then  the  grandmother,  who  had  turned  into  Beaver,  said,  "I  will 
have  revenge  upon  those  boys."  She  told  the  water  to  drown  Prairie 
Falcon.  The  water  came,  while  Prairie  Falcon  was  digging,  and 
drowned  him.  Dove  escaped.  He  cried  for  his  brother.  He  rolled 
and  rolled  over  the  hills.  He  cried  for  his  dead  brother.  He  rolled 
and  rolled  around  the  great  mountains.  He  was  scratched  and  bruised 
by  the  rocks  and  the  brush.  He  bled  all  over.  He  mourned  for  his 
brother  and  cried  for  him.  He  said  to  himself,  "I  do  not  know 
what  killed  my  brother."  Thus  he  spoke  to  himself.  He  travelled 
all  over  the  world  crying,  travelled  to  the  places  which  he  and  his 
brother  had  visited  together. 

Dove  met  Spark.  Spark  asked  him,  ' '  What  are  you  doing  ?  What 
are  you  crying  about?  Dove  replied,  "Something  killed  my 
brother.  I  do  not  know  what  it  was."  Then  Dove  sent  Spark  to 
investigate.  Spark  alighted  close  to  the  old  woman.  The  old  woman 
was  still  crushing  bones.  She  was  still  crushing  bones.  A  small  bone 
flew  out  of  the  mortar.  Spark  seized  it  and  put  it  on  an  arrow.  Then 
he  shot  the  arrow  with  the  bone  point  toward  Dove.  The  arrow  struck 
in  front  of  Dove,  while  he  was  crying.  Dove  picked  up  the  arrow 
and  looked  at  the  point.  As  he  was  about  to  remove  the  bone  point, 
it  spoke  to  him.  The  point  turned  into  Prairie  Falcon.  After  the 
bone  arrow-point  transformed  itself  into  Prairie  Falcon,  Prairie  Fal- 
con cried  for  his  brother  Dove,  because  the  latter  had  so  many  wounds 
and  bruises. 

Prairie  Falcon  cried  and  cried  over  his  brother  Dove,  because 


1917]  Gifford:  Miwok  Myths  305 

the  latter  had  bruised  and  hurt  himself  so.  Brother  Dove  was  bleed- 
ing. He  had  no  hair.  Then  Prairie  Falcon  called  the  various  kinds 
of  birds  together.  He  asked  each  to  give  him  one  feather.  He  said, 
"My  brother  has  no  feathers  on  him.  Do  me  this  favor.  Give  me 
one  feather  apiece."  They  each  gave  him  one  feather.  Then  he 
rehabilitated  his  brother  Dove.  He  still  cried  for  his  brother  Dove, 
for  he  felt  sorry  to  think  that  Dove  had  cut  and  bruised  himself  so 
for  him. 

Then  they  went  all  over  the  world,  searching  for  Dove's  blood  on 
the  rocks,  where  he  had  struck.  Every  time  that  Praire  Falcon  saw 
a  rock  with  his  brother's  blood  upon  it  he  cried,  for  he  knew  that  it 
was  his  brother's  blood  and  that  those  were  the  rocks  which  had  cut 
his  brother. 

Dove  recovered  from  his  bruises  and  cuts  and  was  soon  well  again. 
Dove  said  to  his  brother,  ' '  I  am  well  now.  Worry  about  me  no  more. 
Worry  about  me  no  more.  Do  not  trouble  about  me.  I  do  not  want 
to  lose  you.  See  how  poor  you  look  now."  Thus  spoke  Dove  to  his 
brother,  while  he  was  crying.  This  made  Prairie  Falcon  cry  the 
more. 

Dove  continued.  ' '  I  thought  you  told  me  the  truth,  when  you  said 
that  that  bush  was  good  to  eat.  If  I  had  known  that  you  were  to  be 
taken  away  from  me  so  suddenly,  I  should  not  have  let  you  dig  that 
bush.  That  is  why  I  do  not  want  you  to  bother  with  anything  after 
this.  Our  grandmother  turned  into  a  Beaver  just  as  you  fell,  brother. 
If  we  had  not  attacked  our  grandmother,  we  should  have  had  a  grand- 
mother still."  Thus  spoke  Dove  to  his  brother,  Prairie  Falcon. 

Now  they  had  no  grandmother.  Prairie  Falcon  cried  because  his 
grandmother  had  turned  into  Beaver.  They  both  cried  and  cried 
for  their  grandmother.  They  did  not  know  how  to  get  back  their 
grandmother.  They  went  along  the  river.  They  saw  Beaver  in  the 
riffle.  They  said,  ' '  There  is  Beaver. ' '  Beaver  was  their  grandmother. 
They  used  to  take  their  grandmother  everywhere  they  went,  but  they 
lost  their  grandmother  because  of  the  arrows.  At  last  they  aban- 
doned the  search  for  her  and  went  home.  Their  grandmother  had 
turned  into  Beaver. 

Everybody  made  arrows  thereafter.  Dove  cried  for  his  grand- 
mother. Prairie  Falcon  cried,  but  they  made  arrows.  They  lost  their 
grandmother  because  of  the  arrows. 


306  University ,  of  California  Publications  in  Am.  Arch,  and  Ethn.     [Vol.12 

5.     PEAIEIE  FALCON'S  MAEEIAGE 

"Going,  going  to  marry  Prairie  Falcon,"  Green  Heron  said. 
"Give  me  a  large  basket.  Give  me  a  basket,  so  that  I  may  give  it  to 
Meadowlark. "  The  two  left  that  night  after  they  had  married  the 
chief.  "Where  is  my  daughter  going?"  said  Green  Heron.  When 
they  returned,  Coyote  followed  them.  Coyote  said,  "You,  Green 
Heron,  what  will  you  do  when  the  chief  becomes  hungry?"  Thus 
spoke  Coyote,  when  he  told  them  to  prepare  food  for  the  chief. 

Eagle  told  California  Jay  to  obtain  food.  Then  Coyote  said  to 
Eagle,  "We  go  now  to  hunt  rabbits."  Coyote  continued  to  Califor- 
nia Jay,  ' '  Yes,  that  is  all  right.  Let 's  go. "  "  Whatever  you  people 
say  is  good, ' '  said  Eagle  to  Jay.  Then  they  departed. 

Jay  and  Coyote  went  hunting.  Coyote  ran  away  and  hid  behind 
a  rock. 

Green  Heron  told  his  daughters  to  pound  acorns.  They  said, 
"Yes."  They  went  over  to  the  mortar,  where  they  pounded  acorns. 
The  chief  arose  from  his  bed  to  marry  one  of  the  girls.  He  had  never 
known  any  girl  intimately.  Then  he  went  to  the  assembly  house  and 
told  his  wife  to  pound  acorns  on  the  following  day.  Prairie  Falcon 
told  his  sister  to  take  the  acorns  to  the  girls.  One  of  the  girls,  Meadow- 
lark,  gave  birth  to  a  boy  baby.  After  she  had  given  birth  to  the 
child,  she  pounded  acorns.  The  Eagle  visited  her  while  she  pounded 
acorns.  He  took  her,  Prairie  Falcon's  wife.  "Why  is  that  chief 
deceiving  me  by  taking  my  wife  away  from  me  ? ' '  said  Prairie  Falcon, 
and  he  became  very  angry. 

Prairie  Falcon  decided  to  go  away.  He  said  to  his  sister,  "Give 
rue  a  bow  and  arrow.  I  am  going  into  the  world."  He  killed  one 
quail  with  an  arrow.  He  took  the  quail  with  him.  He  said,  "I  do 
not  think  my  sister  eats  anything."  Then  he  travelled  over  the 
world,  along  the  water  towards  the  north.  After  that  he  returned 
home.  He  told  his  sister  to  tell  no  one  where  he  had  been. 

"I  will  kill  my  wife,  if  she  follows  me.  She  deceived  me,  when 
she  married  me,"  said  Prairie  Falcon.  Then  he  went  around  the 
world,  returning  again  to  his  sister. 

After  returning  to  his  sister,  he  visited  his  sister's  husband, 
Lizard.  Lizard  threw  the  fire  to  him.  Lizard  said  to  his  wife,  "What 
will  your  brother  do  over  there?"  Then  Prairie  Falcon  said  to  his 
sister,  "I  think  he  does  not  wish  me  to  remain."  "Hold  back  your 
dogs,"  said  Prairie  Falcon's  sister  to  Lizard,  for  Lizard  had  rattle- 


1917]  Gifford:  MiwoTc  Myths  307 

snakes  and  bears  for  dogs.     "I  do  not  want  them  to  bite  me,"  said 
Prairie  Falcon  to  his  sister. 

"I  go  now  to  the  place  where  my  father  died,"  said  Prairie 
Falcon  to  his  sister.  His  sister  objected,  saying,  "Do  not  go;  remain 
here,"  for  she  feared  for  him.  Their  father  had' died  at  the  place  to 
which  he  was  going.  ' '  No,  I  go.  My  father  went  there  and  I  go,  too, ' ' 
said  Prairie  Falcon.  His  sister  then  said,  "Well,  you  may  go,  then. 
Remember,  if  anything  happens  to  you,  that  you  did  not  mind  me, 
when  I  told  you  not  to  go. ' ' 

"You  watch  my  wife,  for  she  might  follow  me,"  said  Prairie 
Falcon  to  his  sister.  "If  she  comes,  I  will  kill  her.  She  is  a  pretty 
woman,  but  I  will  kill  her,  nevertheless."  His  sister  said,  "Do  not 
kill  her,  for  she  will  save  your  life  when  you  arrive  at  your  des- 
tination. ' ' 

His  wife  followed  him  all  the  way.  He  looked  back  to  find  that 
she  followed  him.  She  was  coming.  Prairie  Falcon  said  to  his 
brother-in-law,  Lizard,  "Watch  her  closely,  for  I  shall  take  her.  I 
do  not  think  that  I  shall  kill  her."  Lizard  watched  her  and  Prairie 
Falcon  took  her.  "Yes,  I  am  going,"  said  Prairie  Falcon.  "Do  not 
give  me  that  girl, ' '  he  said  to  Lizard. 

He  went  north.  He  told  his  sister  not  to  tell  his  wife  where  he 
had  gone.  "I  go  to  the  north,"  he  said.  "I  go  to  the  north.  I  feel 
lonesome."  Thus  he  spoke  to  his  sister,  as  he  was  leaving.  "It  is 
all  right  if  they  kill  me.  I  go  around  the  water.  I  do  not  think  I 
shall  come  back.  I  go  around  the  water.  I  think  that  will  be  the  last 
of  me.  I  do  not  think  that  you  will  see  me  any  more." 

He  changed  his  mind,  after  he  talked  with  his  sister,  and  went  to 
the  south  instead.  He  finally  arrived  at  his  destination. 

Lizard  said  to  his  wife,  "Your  brother  will  be  back,  so  the  fire 
tells  me. ' '  Prairie  Falcon 's  sister  said,  ' '  Our  brother  has  returned. ' ' 

Upon  his  return,  Prairie  Falcon  found  that  his  wife  had  started 
for  the  place  to  which  he  had  been.  He  set  out  again  to  overtake 
her.  He  overtook  her  before  she  arrived  at  her  destination.  Then 
they  proceeded  on  their  journey  together.  Prairie  Falcon  said,  "I 
go  to  the  place  where  my  father  died.  I  shall  take  my  wife  with  me. ' ' 

He  arrived  there  and  found  that  his  father,  Owl,  still  lived. 
Prairie  Falcon  remained  with  his  father.  His  father  said  to  him, 
after  he  had  stayed  with  him  a  while,  "If  they  want  your  wife,  give 
her  to  them,  because  she  will  save  your  life." 

Prairie  Falcon's  brother-in-law,  Lizard,  told  his  wife  that  her 
brother  had  gone. 


308  University  of  California  Publications  in  Am.  Arch,  and  Ethn.     [Vol.  12 

Prairie  Falcon  told  his  wife  not  to  come  near  him  after  they  had 
arrived  at  their  destination.  ' '  Keep  away  from  me, ' '  he  said.  Lizard 
threw  the  fire  on  the  ground.  Prairie  Falcon  told  his  father,  "Fire 
comes. ' '  His  wife  saw  the  fire  coming.  Prairie  Falcon  told  his  father 
to  return. 

All  of  the  ground  was  burned  after  Lizard  threw  the  fire.  Prairie 
Falcon  told  his  wife  that  a  large  fire  was  coming.  "We  had  better 
hurry  or  it  will  catch  us."  His  wife  replied  that  she  did  not  believe 
him.  She  pulled  two  hairs  from  herself  and  threw  them  on  the 
ground.  They  became  a  lake.  She  did  this  after  Prairie  Falcon  left. 
She  entered  the  lake  and  stayed  in  the  water,  while  the  fire  burned 
around  it.  She  swam  around  the  lake.  Finally  she  came  out  of  it 
and  went  to  her  father.  Upon  meeting  her  father  (Meadowlark  man), 
she  said,  "We  are  safe  now,  the  fire  has  gone  out."  Meadowlark 's 
wife  said  to  him,  "We  go  to  the  place  to  which  Prairie  Falcon  has 
gone."  Then  they  went.  They  obtained  a  large  rock,  which  rolled 
upon  the  wife's  leg. 

Prairie  Falcon  told  his  wife  that  they  had  arrived  at  their  desti- 
nation. "They  are  going  to  have  a  game  with  me,"  he  said.  "If 
they  win,  they  will  kill  me." 

Prairie  Falcon's  father,  Owl,  helped  him.  He  helped  Prairie 
Falcon  in  the  game,  which  they  played.  Prairie  Falcon  called  strong 
winds  from  every  direction  to  help  him  in  the  race.  The  big  wind 
came  as  they  started  the  jumping  contest.  Prairie  Falcon  jumped 
about  before  he  jumped  through  the  hole.  He  jumped  through  the 
hole.  It  snapped  at  him,  but  just  missed  him.  He  said  to  his  wife, 
"We  have  gone  through  one  place  safely.  Now  we  are  going  to  my 
father." 

Prairie  Falcon's  father  dreamed  that  his  son  was  coming.  Prairie 
Falcon's  father  said  that  he  dreamed  that  his  son  was  coming.  "I 
am  going  to  meet  him.  He  is  on  his  way,  coming  to  see  me.  He  is 
coming.  I  think  they  will  kill  him  when  he  arrives  here. ' ' 

The  people  told  him  that  his  son  had  arrived.  "We  can  have  a 
game  with  him,"  they  said.  "He  has  arrived.  He  has  brought  his 
wife  with  him."  Thus  spoke  Chief  Mountain  Sheep  to  his  people. 
Mountain  Sheep  gave  a  festival  in  which  games  were  played. 

Mountain  Sheep  said,  "We  are  going  to  have  a  big  festival.  We 
are  going  to  have  a  football  game.  Get  Prairie  Falcon's  wife.  Bring 
his  wife.  I  like  his  wife.  He  can  have  my  wife. ' '  They  took  Prairie 
Falcon's  wife  and  brought  another  woman  to  him.  They  held  a 


1917]  Gifford:  Miwok  Myths  309 

festival.  They  told  Prairie  Falcon  that  he  could  have  his  wife  back 
after  the  games  were  over.  Prairie  Falcon  replied,  "All  right." 
Then,  upon  second  thought,  he  said,  "No.  I  would  rather  have  my 
wife  with  me.  I  will  send  the  string  of  beads."  Eagle  said,  "All 
right.  I  will  take  the  beads  over  there." 

The  other  girl  went  to  Prairie  Falcon,  but  Prairie  Falcon  told  her 
not  to  come  near  him,  told  her  to  stay  away.  She  slept  in  a  different 
place.  Then  she  went  to  Mountain  Sheep  and  told  him  that  Prairie 
Falcon  did  not  sleep  with  her.  Prairie  Falcon's  wife  went  to  Moun- 
tain Sheep's  house  and  stayed  there  overnight.  Everyone  liked  her. 

Prairie  Falcon  told  Gopher  to  dig  tunnels  in  the  ground  on  Moun- 
tain Sheep's  side  of  the  field,  so  that  he  would  stumble  when  he  ran. 
Then  Gopher  made  tunnels  in  the  ground.  Next  day  they  played 
football.  Roadrunner  helped  Prairie  Falcon  and  Dove ;  so  did  King- 
bird. They  ran.  Owl  kicked  the  ball;  then  Prairie  Falcon's  side 
won. 

Next  day  they  played  more  games.  Prairie  Falcon  won  the  first 
game  played.  Owl  kicked  the  ball;  from  where  it  landed  Coyote 
kicked  it;  then  Dove.  After  that  they  played  another  game. 

Then  Prairie  Falcon  said  to  his  father,  "Give  me  my  arrows. 
Mountain  Sheep  is  tired.  They  will  kill  me,  father,  if  they  win  the 
game.  I  shall  forestall  them."  Then  he  killed  Mountain  Sheep  with 
arrows.  After  he  had  killed  him,  he  returned  home. 

He  returned  home  to  his  sister.  Then  he  told  his  wife  that  she 
should  bathe.  "After  that  we  will  go  home,"  he  said.  Owl  bathed 
her.  After  she  had  been  bathed,  they  started  for  home. 

Prairie  Falcon  told  his  sister  not  to  worry.  "I  have  been  over 
to  Mountain  Sheep's  place,"  he  said.  "That  is  all  for  Mountain 
Sheep.  I  killed  him,  just  as  he  killed  my  father." 

Prairie  Falcon  came  again  to  the  hole  through  which  he  had 
passed.  He  called  upon  the  winds  from  every  direction  to  help  him 
pass  safely  through  it.  He  told  his  wife  to  cling  to  him  tightly,  when 
he  jumped.  His  wife  clasped  him  tightly  about  the  waist.  The  hole 
opened  just  as  he  prepared  to  jump.  Then  he  jumped  through  it. 

When  he  had  passed  to  the  other  side  of  the  hole,  he  said  to  his 
wife,  ' '  We  are  going  home. ' '  Then  he  went  to  his  sister 's  house  again. 
He  told  her  that  he  had  killed  all  of  the  people  on  the  other  side. 

His  sister  told  him  not  to  talk  thus  while  his  brother-in-law 
(Lizard)  was  listening.  Then  Prairie  Falcon  became  angry  and  went 
home.  Then  he  went  beyond  his  home.  He  said  that  he  would  never 


310  University  of  California  Publications  in  Am.  Arch,  and  Ethn.     [Vol.  12 

return  to  that  place  again.     He  took  his  son  with  him.     He  did  not 
sleep  in  his  home,  but  went  beyond  it. 

He  left  his  wife  at  the  assembly  house.  He  told  her  that  he  did 
not  know  whether  he  would  return  or  not.  He  arrived  at  a  large  rock, 
which  was  his  father-in-law's  place.  His  father-in-law  (Green  Heron) 
asked  him  if  he  wanted  anything  to  eat.  He  also  asked  him  if  he 
had  won  in  the  game.  Prairie  Falcon  replied,  "Yes,  I  went  there 
and  killed  the  chief." 

He  stayed  at  his  father-in-law's  place  for  two  nights.  Then  his 
father  came  to  take  him  home.  He  told  Prairie  Falcon  that  his  wife 
was  worrying  about  him.  Prairie  Falcon  came  down  from  the  large 
rock  and  talked  with  his  father.  He  told  his  father  that  he  did  not 
desire  to  return.  Then  Dove  and  Coyote  came  behind  him.  They 
told  him  that  they  had  left  one  and  that  they  had  not  found  the 
other  one.  Dove  and  Coyote  were  given  bear  hides  to  sit  upon.  Then 
they  told  him  to  marry  the  girl  with  whom  he  had  been  going.  He 
did  not  reply. 

His  father  asked  him  what  he  ate,  while  he  was  traveling.  He 
told  his  father  that  he  had  nothing  to  eat.  His  father  told  him  that 
he  would  get  him  a  quail,  if  he  would  marry.  "Quail  is  the  only 
thing  I  ever  eat,"  said  Prairie  Falcon  to  his  father.  His  father  went 
hunting. 

[Prairie  Falcon's  assembly  house  was  at  Goodwin's  ranch  near 
Montezuma  in  Tuolumne  County.  Mountain  Sheep's  village  was  at 
the  south  end  of  the  world.] 


6.     THE  FLOOD 

Prairie  Falcon  told  his  people  to  prepare.  He  said,  "Get  ready, 
Eagle.  Get  ready;  Flicker.  Get  ready,  Dove.  Get  ready,  Wood- 
pecker. Get  ready,  Quail.  Get  ready,  Kingbird.  Get  ready,  Hum- 
mingbird. We  are  going.  We  are  going.  We  are  going,  going 
toward  the  north.  Hurry,  prepare,  for  we  must  go  at  once,  must 
go  at  once,  must  go  at  once. ' '  Thus  he  spoke,  when  he  told  his  people 
to  prepare.  "We  shall  take  the  people.  We  shall  take  the  people 
to  the  place  where  my  father  always  goes. ' ' 

Prairie  Falcon  said  to  Eagle,  "Tell  everyone,  Eagle.  Tell  every- 
one, Eagle.  Have  your  people  prepare.  Tell  California  Jay  to 
come.  Tell  Coyote  to  come.  Tell  Hummingbird  to  come.  We  will 
go  to  the  top  of  the  great  mountain. ' ' 


1917]  Gifford:  Miwok  Myths  311 

Eagle  said,  ''We  shall  follow  our  chief  to  the  great  mountain. 
We  will  go  there,  so  that  we  may  see  how  the  world  fares.  I  hear 
that  a  flood  approaches.  We  are  all  going  together.  Do  not  say  'I 
shall  stay  home. '  We  are  all  going.  Do  not  say  '  I  am  sick. '  Do  not 
be  lazy.  We  are  all  going,  going  toward  the  north.  We  will  arrive 
there.  We  will  see  different  sorts  of  people."  Thus  spoke  the  chief, 
when  he  told  his  people  to  prepare. 

Prairie  Falcon  said,  "We  are  all  going.  Do  not  stay  behind. 
Take  Chief  Eagle  for  a  guide.  He  knows  the  way.  Hurry,  the  water 
comes.  Do  not  stay  at  home,  for  you  will  drown.  We  are  all  going. 
We  will  try  to  escape  from  the  flood."  Thus  spoke  Prairie  Falcon 
to  Eagle.  He  continued  to  Eagle,  "I  do  not  think  that  the  water 
will  cover  the  great  mountain.  If  we  arrive  there  before  it  overtakes 
us,  I  think  we  shall  be  saved. ' ' 

They  hurried.  "The  water  is  just  coming  over  the  bluff,"  said 
Coyote  to  Chief  Prairie  Falcon.  Coyote  saw  the  water  coming  over 
the  bluff.  Flicker  became  frightened  and  fainted.  They  called  Hum- 
mingbird to  save  Flicker's  life. 

Coyote  said,  "I  am  the  only  one  who  will  drown,  as  I  cannot  run 
fast  enough.  One  of  my  legs  is  cut  off."  They  all  went,  except 
Coyote.  He  could  not  walk.  He  stayed  on  a  big  log  as  the  water 
neared  him.  The  water  reached  him  and  he  floated  with  the  log. 
Meanwhile,  the  people  gained  the  mountain  top.  The  water  over- 
whelmed everything,  making  great  caverns  in  the  mountains.  Coyote 
on  his  log  drifted  hither  and  thither  and  finally  stranded  in  a  different 
country.  The  water  subsided  after  drowning  all  human  beings. 

Eagle  said  to  Rattlesnake,  "The  flood  washed  us  to  this  mountain 
top."  Rattlesnake  repeated  this  to  his  wife,  saying,  "The  water 
washed  those  people  to  our  mountain. ' ' 

The  water  rose  a  second  time.  It  rose  higher  than  ever,  and  it 
washed  down  the  great  mountain  where  the  Rattlesnakes  lived.  Eagle 
sent  Dove  into  the  air  to  survey  the  water  for  another  mountain, 
where  they  might  take  refuge.  Then  he  sent  Hummingbird  on  a 
similar  quest.  Hummingbird  found  dry  land,  returned,  and  told 
Prairie  Falcon. 

"Hurry,  let  us  go  before  the  water  overtakes  us,"  said  Prairie 
Falcon  to  his  people,  "for  the  water  still  rises."  They  went,  taking 
Rattlesnake  with  them.  On  the  way  Rattlesnake  bit  Flicker,  who  was 
carrying  him.  They  dropped  Rattlesnake  in  the  water,  and  he  had 
to  swim.  He  swam  back  to  his  home,  which  the  water  had  not  quite 


312  University  of  California  Publications  in  Am.  Arch,  and  Ethn.     [Vol.  12 

covered.  After  he  arrived  there,  the  water  rose  higher  and  completely 
covered  the  mountain.  Rattlesnake  was  forced  to  swim  again,  but 
as  he  could  not  find  land,  he  became  exhausted  and  was  drowned. 

Water  flooded  the  entire  world.  At  last  Prairie  Falcon  and  Eagle 
and  their  people  arrived  at  a  piece  of  dry  land.  There  they  found 
green  fruit.  Hummingbird  told  them  not  to  eat  the  fruit.  Then 
they  sent  Dove  to  survey  the  water  and  discover  how  humanity  fared. 
Dove  reported  that  all  human  beings  were  dead. 

Prairie  Falcon  and  his  people  were  starving  upon  their  piece  of 
dry  land.  Prairie  Falcon  again  sent  forth  Dove  and  Hummingbird 
with  orders  to  bring  back  some  earth.  He  told  them  to  obtain  mud. 
He  instructed  Hummingbird  not  to  suck  the  flowers  and  Dove  not  to 
eat  the  weed  seed.  "Do  not  forget  to  bring  mud,"  he  said,  "Do  not 
eat  the  weed  seed  and  do  not  suck  the  flowers."  The  water  had  sub- 
sided. Prairie  Falcon  said,  when  he  sent  Dove  and  Hummingbird, 
"Do  not  forget  to  bring  mud.  Do  not  forget  to  bring  mud."  Thus 
he  spoke  to  Dove  and  Hummingbird.  Then  the  two  went  to  obtain 
mud.  This  occurred  after  all  human  beings  were  dead,  after  they 
had  been  drowned  and  after  the  great  mountains  had  been  changed. 
Then  Dove  and  Hummingbird  went. 

7.     THE  EEPEOPLING  OF  THE  WOELD 

Chief  Eagle  said,  "Where  is  Coyote?  Where  is  Coyote?  He  must 
try  to  resurrect  the  people.  Where  is  Coyote  ?  He  must  try  to  resur- 
rect the  people.  What  shall  we  do  about  our  dead  people?  Who  is 
going  to  help  us?  Tell  Coyote  to  think."  Thus  spoke  the  chief. 
"Tell  Coyote  to  think  intently.  All  human  beings  are  dead."  So 
said  Eagle  to  Coyote. 

Coyote  said,  "  I  do  not  know  how  I  shall  bring  them  back  to  life. ' ' 
Thus  spoke  Coyote,  when  he  answered  Eagle.  "But,"  he  continued, 
' '  I  will  try  to  bring  them  back.  I  will  try  to  bring  them  back. ' ' 

He  went  to  the  top  of  a  rock  and  slept.  He  dreamed  that  he  saw 
a  skeleton.  Then  he  went  to  the  chief  and  told  him  that  he  had  seen 
a  skeleton  in  his  dream.  The  chief  sent  him  back,  saying,  ' '  That  may 
help  us.  Go  back  and  sleep  again.  If  you  dream  again  do  not  arise. 
The  skeleton  may  talk  to  you. ' ' 

Coyote  said,  "No  one  helps  the  chief.  He  feels  lonely.  He  mourns 
each  day  for  the  dead  Indians."  Then  Coyote  dreamed  of  the  skele- 
ton again.  The  skeleton  awakened  him  and  told  him  to  sing.  The 
skeleton  said,  ' '  If  you  sing,  the  people  will  return. ' ' 


1917]  Gifford:  MiwoTc  Myths  313 

Coyote  sang  in  a  great  cave.  The  skeleton  told  Lesisko  [translated 
as  "devil"  by  the  interpreter]  that  Coyote  was  singing  in  the  cave. 
Coyote  sang,  ' '  Come  back,  all  of  you  girls.  Come  back.  Come  back. 
Come  back.  Come  back,  all  of  you  old  people.  Come  back.  Come 
back.  Come  back.  Come  back,  all  of  you  women.  Come  back.  Come 
back.  Come  back."  Thus  sang  Coyote,  when  he  called  the  people 
back  after  Eagle  asked  him  to  resurrect  them. 

Prairie  Falcon  told  Coyote  to  try  hard  to  bring  about  the  return 
of  mankind.  Coyote  sang  and  cried  for  days  and  nights.  Eagle 
cried.  He  said  to  Prairie  Falcon,  "I  do  not  think  Coyote  will  bring 
your  people  back."  Coyote  said,  "The  skeleton  told  me  that,  if  I 
sang  loudly  each  morning,  some  of  the  people  would  return,  but  not 
all."  Then  Coyote  went  to  the  chief  and  said,  "The  skeleton  told 
me  that  by  singing  loudly  every  morning  some  of  the  people  would 
return,  but  not  all."  The  chief  felt  a  bit  better  after  he  had  this 
word  from  Coyote. 

Coyote  said,  "I  think  that  I  shall  bring  my  people  back.  I  think 
that  I  shall. ' '  Thus  he  spoke,  when  he  talked  with  the  chief.  He  felt 
very  happy,  when  he  said  this  to  the  chief.  Then  he  continued,  "I 
will  go  back  to  the  cave  and  sing. ' ' 

Then  he  sang.  He  sang  in  the  morning.  First  he  brought  one 
old  man  back  to  life.  He  tried  to  talk  to  the  old  man,  but  the  latter 
would  not  answer  him.  The  old  man  did  not  even  shake  his  head. 
Coyote  said,  "I  will  try  some  more  singing." 

Coyote  then  visited  the  chief  and  told  him,  "I  shall  bring  the 
people  back,  but  they  will  not  be  the  same  people.  They  will  be  very 
nearly  the  same  people,  but  they  will  be  a  little  different."  The 
chief  laughed. 

Then  Coyote  ran  around  the  rock  shouting,  ran  around  the  rock 
shouting.  He  felt  glad  that  he  had  resurrected  the  people.  He  said, 
"I  brought  back  my  grandson.  Now  there  are  many  people.  Now 
there  are  many  people.  Now  there  are  many  people.  I  brought 
them  back.  Now  they  are  nearly  the  same  as  they  were  before." 

Then  he  climbed  a  hill.  He  ran  around  the  hills  and  shouted. 
He  went  around  the  hills  and  shouted.  Eagle  said,  "He  has  made 
the  same  people.  Coyote  has  done  well."  Thus  spoke  Chief  Eagle, 
for  he  was  glad  to  see  the  people  alive  again.  Coyote  still  shouted 
and  danced  in  his  joy. 

The  chief  said  to  Hummingbird,  ' '  Go  back  and  look  at  that  moun- 
tain."  Then  Hummingbird  went.  All  of  the  people  returned.  The 


314  University  of  California  Publications  in  Am.  Arcli.  and  Ethn.     [Vol.  12 

chief  was  glad  to  see  his  people.  He  said  that  the  various  kinds  of 
baskets  must  return.  The  chief  was  glad.  He  said,  "Coyote  did  it 
all."  The  chief  told  Chief  Prairie  Falcon,  "Coyote  secured  the  re- 
turn of  the  people  through  the  help  of  the  skeleton."  Then  Coyote 
shouted,  because  he  was  glad  that  he  had  brought  back  his  people. 
Thus  spoke  Coyote.  Thus  spoke  Coyote. 

Chief  Eagle  said,  "He  brought  back  the  people."  Coyote  said  to 
Prairie  Falcon,  "We  have  saved  our  people.  They  have  returned  to 
their  places.  I  have  brought  my  people  back. ' '  He  told  no  one.  He 
just  thought  about  it,  when  he  brought  the  people  back.  No  one  told 
him  what  to  do.  When  he  saw  the  people,  he  was  glad.  Coyote  said, 
"  I  do  not  know  what  happened  to  us.  I  do  not  know  what  it  was, 
that  killed  our  old  folks.  I  do  not  know  whence  the  water  came." 
Thus  spoke  Coyote,  while  he  was  running. 

Prairie  Falcon  said,  when  he  answered  his  brother,  "Yes,  that  is 
all  right. ' '  Coyote  shouted  and  shouted,  when  he  secured  the  baskets, 
various  sorts  of  baskets,  the  various  sorts  in  which  the  people  cook. 
He  shouted  and  shouted,  after  he  had  brought  back  everything  to- 
gether with  the  people.  He  was  glad  to  have  his  people  again.  Then 
he  stopped  shouting.  He  stopped  shouting.  He  said,  "It  is  all  right. 
It  is  all  right."  But  when  he  spoke  he  shouted  again.  Then  he 
became  accustomed  to  shouting  and  he  still  continues  to  do  so.  Be- 
cause he  was  glad  to  see  the  people,  he  shouted. 


8.     THE  SEAKCH  FOE  THE  DEEE 

' '  '  What  is  the  matter  ?  What  is  the  matter  ?  What  is  the  trouble 
that  we  see  no  deer?  Have  any  of  you  seen  their  tracks?  We  do 
not  see  them. '  That  is  what  you  people  say  each  time  that  you  return 
from  hunting.  Mountain  Lion,  you  go  back  and  look."  Thus  spoke 
a  number  of  the  people  before  daybreak.  "Look  for  the  tracks  of 
the  deer,"  they  said.  "We  did  not  see  their  tracks.  Look  for  their 
tracks,  Eagle.  See  if  you  can  find  them.  Look  for  their  tracks, 
Eagle.  What  shall  we  eat,  if  we  do  not  find  the  deer?"  So  spoke  the 
people. 

"Where  is  Fox?  Where  is  he?  We  want  him  to  find  the  deer. 
You  hunters  search  for  the  deer."  Thus  spoke  the  people  to  their 
hunters. 

All  went  into  the  hills  before  the  sunrise.    Each  person  went  on  a 


1917]  Gifford:  MiwoTc  Myths  315 

hill.  They  went  on  the  hills  toward  the  north,  but  they  saw  no  deer, 
The  deer  were  in  several  large  caves.  They  did  not  come  forth  in  the 
morning  as  usual.  They  did  not  appear.  The  hunters  searched  daily 
for  them,  but  found  no  tracks. 

The  people  came  together  and  said,  "What  is  the  matter  with  the 
deer  ?  Even  we  cannot  find  their  tracks. ' '  Fox,  Black  Fox,  Mountain 
Lion,  and  Wild  Cat  held  a  conference.  ' '  Do  not  you  see  deer  tracks  ? ' ' 
they  asked  each  other.  Each  responded,  "No.  No.  I  do  not  see  their 
tracks."  Thus  spoke  each  of  the  hunters.  Thus  spoke  the  hunters 
after  the  deer  went  into  hiding  in  caves  in  the  high  cliffs. 

Then  the  hunters  asked,  ' '  Where  is  Crow  ?  Let  him  search  for  the 
deer.  We  must  find  them  soon,  or  we  shall  starve." 

Mountain  Lion  said,  "Where  is  Fox?  Let  him  try  to  find  the 
deer,  for  the  hunters  have  very  nearly  given  up."  Fox  answered, 
"I  do  not  think  that  I  can  find  them.  It  is  useless  for  me  to  try. 
None  of  you  hunters  have  found  them,  so  what  is  the  use  of  my 
trying?"  Thus  spoke  Fox  to  the  people.  He  did  not  wish  to  try, 
for  all  the  good  hunters  had  already  tried. 

While  they  were  assembled,  they  asked  Mountain  Lion  if  he  had 
seen  deer  tracks.  The  people  said,  "We  have  seen  no  deer.  We 
see  but  one  track  each  day,  when  we  go  out.  We  see  no  deer,  but  only 
the  tracks."  Thus  spoke  the  people.  The  deer  were  hiding  in  a 
cave.  Each  day  one  deer  came  forth.  The  deer  entered  the  cave  from 
either  end. 

Fox  said,  ' '  I  will  try,  but  I  fear  that  I  shall  find  no  deer. ' '  Thus 
he  spoke,  when  he  left  the  people  in  search  of  the  deer.  He  went, 
intending  to  do  his  best.  He  went  to  the  south  end  of  the  world. 
Then  he  went  around  the  world.  He  went  to  the  place  where  the 
sun  sets.  Then  he  returned  home.  He  told  the  people  that  he  had 
seen  no  deer,  that  he  could  find  none. 

Again  Fox,  together  with  Crow,  journeyed  through  the  hills  in 
search  of  deer.  Fox  returned,  but  Crow  did  not.  Black  Fox  then 
went  out  in  place  of  Fox.  He  went  up  a  mountain  and  stayed  there 
overnight.  Black  Fox  was  unsuccessful,  however,  for  the  next  day 
he  returned  without  having  found  the  deer. 

The  people  said,  ' '  Crow  has  not  returned  yet.  He  must  have  gone 
far.  They  sent  Eagle  and  some  of  the  people  with  him,  saying,  "You 
men  try  to  find  Crow,  for  he  has  not  returned.  Something  must  have 
happened  to  him."  After  a  while  Eagle  and  his  people  returned 
without  having  found  Crow  or  the  tracks  of  the  deer.  The  people 


316  University  of  California  Publications  in  Am.  Arch,  and  Ethn.     [Vol.  12 

were  starving.  They  had  nothing  to  eat.  Eagle  said  upon  his  return, 
' '  We  are  starving.  All  that  we  have  is  water. ' ' 

They  next  sent  Wild  Cat  to  search  for  the  deer.  Mountain  Lion 
said  to  the  second  Crow,  "You  go.  See  if  you  can  find  the  deer.  I 
fear  that  if  you  cannot  find  them,  we  shall  die.  We  shall  starve." 
Then  Crow  went.  He  climbed  first  to  the  top  of  a  high  hill.  The 
first  Crow,  his  brother,  had  not  yet  returned.  He  stood  on  the  top 
of  the  high  hill,  which  is  at  the  end  of  the  world.  Then  he  returned. 
He  told  the  people  that  he  could  not  find  his  brother.  Thus  he  spoke, 
when  he  returned. 

The  chief  said  nothing,  for  he  was  worrying,  because  his  people 
were  starving.  The  chief  said  nothing,  but  was  worried.  Finally, 
he  said  to  Mountain  Lion,  "You  go.  Let  us  see  you  go."  Mountain 
Lion  now  went  to  locate  the  deer.  He  followed  along  the  creek.  Upon 
his  return  he  said,  "I  do  not  know  what  is  the  trouble.  I  could  not 
find  them.  I  could  not  even  find  their  tracks.  I  do  not  know  what 
is  the  matter  with  them.  I  do  not  know  what  is  the  matter  with 
Crow."  "What  is  he  doing  so  long  away?"  the  people  asked.  "Let 
us  see  you  find  Crow, ' '  they  said  to  Fox. 

Then  Fox  departed,  when  the  people  told  him  to  go.  He  went 
to  a  large  rock.  He  returned  and  told  the  people  that  he  could  see 
no  deer. 

Then  the  people  said  that  they  would  send  the  second  Crow. 
"Let  us  see  you  try,"  they  said.  Then  the  second  Crow  went.  He 
climbed  a  high  mountain  to  the  south.  He  saw  nothing  when  he 
reached  the  summit.  Then  he  returned  and  told  the  chief,  "I  saw 
nothing.  Something  must  have  killed  my  brother.  I  saw  no  deer.  I 
do  not  know  what  is  the  matter  with  them.  Perhaps  they  have  gone 
somewhere.  Perhaps  my  brother  has  followed  them."  Then  Moun- 
tain Quail  went  into  the  hills.  But  he,  too,  returned  and  told  the 
chief  that  he  saw  nothing. 

Then  they  sent  the  second  Crow  again  with  instructions  to  remain 
two  days  in  the  hills  and  to  see  if  he  could  find  his  brother.  Crow 
left  before  sunrise  and  climbed  to  the  top  of  a  high  mountain  before 
the  sun  rose.  The  sun  rose  after  he  reached  the  summit.  Then  he 
looked  down  the  mountain  and  saw  a  large  cave.  After  he  had  seen 
the  cave,  he  went  down  the  mountain  towards  the  water.  After  reach- 
ing the  water,  he  prepared  to  drink.  Then  he  did  not  drink.  He 
returned  home  and  told  the  people  that  he  had  seen  a  cave.  He  said, 
"After  I  discovered  the  cave,  I  went  towards  the  water  down  the 


1917]  Gifford:  Miwok  Myths  317 

hill.  I  intended  to  drink.  However,  I  did  not  drink  the  water  after 
I  reached  it.  I  thought  about  my  brother  and  that  is  why  I  came 
home.  I  think  the  deer  are  in  that  cave. ' ' 

Then  the  chiefs  discussed  the  matter  after  Crow  told  them  of 
the  cave.  He  returned  to  the  hill  before  sundown.  Then  he  saw 
the  deer  entering  the  cave  after  sundown. 

The  chiefs  assembled  the  people  and,  while  Crow  remained  011 
the  mountain,  they  gave  a  dance.  All  of  the  people,  all  of  the  hunters, 
assembled.  They  said,  "Chief  Crow  has  found  the  cave."  Crow 
sang  while  he  remained  on  the  summit.  He  sang,  ' '  I  bested  the  other 
hunters.  I  found  the  deer.  We  shall  not  starve  now."  Thus  sang 
Crow  after  he  found  the  deer.  He  returned  and  told  the  chief  about 
the  deer,  told  the  chief  about  them,  when  he  arrived  at  home.  All 
of  the  people  assembled.  Chief  Mountain  Lion  said,  "We  are  saved 
now,  because  we  have  found  the  deer.  I  shall  take  my  son.  I  shall 
put  him  to  the  test."  He  said  that  he  was  going  to  test  the  courage 
of  his  son.  He  placed  his  son  within  the  cave.  He  put  the  people 
all  around  the  cave  in  different  places.  He  closed  the  exits  of  the 
cave.  He  did  not  want  the  deer  to  escape,  so  he  closed  the  exits.  He 
placed  the  people  all  over  the  hills,  so  that  they  might  kill  the  deer 
as  they  came  forth  from  the  cave. 

Wolf  and  Coyote  came  to  help  kill  the  deer.  After  Mountain 
Lion  had  everything  ready,  he  sent  his  son  inside  of  the  cave  to  kill 
the  deer.  Then  his  son  entered  the  cave.  Young  Mountain  Lion  went 
in  to  show  his  prowess.  His  father  stayed  outside.  Then  young 
Mountain  Lion  commenced  to  fight  with  the  deer,  but  he  fainted  from 
the  heat  within  the  cave.  His  father  entered  and  brought  him  out  and 
laid  him  beside  the  stream.  While  he  was  rescuing  his  son,  the  deer 
escaped.  They  ran  out  on  the  other  side  of  the  cave,  but  encountered 
Wolf.  Wolf  started  to  pursue  them,  but  he  collided  with  a  rock. 
Next  the  deer  encountered  Coyote  further  down  the  hill.  They 
jumped  over  Coyote,  but  he  pursued  them,  until  his  legs  caught  on  a 
rock  and  he  fell  backwards.  Some  of  the  deer  ran  up  the  hill,  where 
there  was  a  band  of  people.  They  ran  over  all  of  the  people  and  no 
one  killed  a  deer.  The  people  were  starving  and  one  of  them  died. 

One  of  them  died  and  the  others  felt  very  weak.  They  did  not 
know  what  to  do  after  the  deer  escaped.  The  chief  said  to  his  people, 
"Let  us  go  home."  Some  of  the  people  said  to  the  chief,  "We  do 
not  think  that  we  shall  reach  home;  we  are  starving."  Then  the 
chief  went  alone.  He  left  his  son  beside  the  creek,  left  him  there 
singing. 


318  University  of  California  Publications  in  Am.  Arch,  and  Ethn.     [Vol.  12 

While  proceeding  along  the  creek,  the  chief  met  Skunk.  Skunk 
asked  the  chief  to  stop  for  a  while.  Then  Skunk  said  to  the  chief, 
•'Let  me  ride  on  your  back.  I  will  dance  on  your  back."  The  chief 
was  not  agreeable.  He  said,  "You  had  better  walk.  I  am  not  strong 
enough  to  carry  you.  I  am  starving.  My  people  are  dying. ' '  Skunk 
said,  "Do  not  say  that.  If  you  say  that  I  shall  die.  Give  me  a  ride- 
on  your  back  and  I  will  do  you  a  favor." 

Then  the  chief  heard  from  the  second  Crow.  The  Indians  were 
dying  daily,  starving  to  death,  as  they  had  nothing  to  eat.  The  chief 
said  to  Skunk,  "I  am  going.  I  am  going."  Skunk  besought  again, 
' '  Let  me  ride  on  your  back.  Then  I  will  save  some  of  your  people. ' ' 
The  chief  replied,  "Come  on,  then."  They  went,  Skunk  riding  011 
the  chief's  back. 

The  people  were  dying  rapidly.  Crow  said,  "The  chief  is  return- 
ing. ' '  The  chief  was  coming.  The  chief  told  Skunk  to  hang  on  tight. 
He  said,  "I  am  going  to  wade  this  river."  Skunk  said,  "I  do  not 
care  if  all  your  people  die,  so  long  as  I  get  this  ride  on  your  back 
across  the  river."  The  chief  became  angry  when  Skunk  said  that. 
' '  Get  on,  we  are  going  to  cross  the  river, ' '  said  the  chief.  When  they 
reached  the  middle  of  the  river,  the  chief  pretended  to  stumble.  He 
fell  down  and  Skunk  lost  his  hold.  Skunk  drowned.  The  chief  went 
on  across  the  river. 

As  soon  as  he  had  crossed  the  river,  he  looked  up  the  hill.  He 
saw  the  first  Crow  descending  the  hill  with  a  load  of  deer.  Crow 
told  the  chief,  "I  killed  many  deer  on  the  creek."  The  chief  told 
Crow  that  all  of  the  people  had  died.  ' '  That  is  Skunk 's  fault, ' '  said 
the  chief.  ' '  He  told  me  he  would  save  my  people. ' '  Crow  said,  ' '  Your 
remaining  people  will  be  saved,  for  we  have  plenty  of  meat  now. 
Thus  spoke  Crow  to  the  chief,  when  he  met  him  on  the  bank  of  the 
river. 

9.     SALAMANDEE  AND  CHIPMUNK 

Salamander  said  to  Chipmunk,  "Let  me  go  to  see  my  house.  This 
same  thing  has  been  here  for  a  long  while.  My  son-in-law  has  been 
in  this  condition  all  the  time.  I  could  not  get  the  big  deer.  I  tried 
my  best  to  kill  him.  I  tried  and  tried  to  break  his  neck.  I  could  not 
break  it  and  he  escaped  from  me.  I  could  not  kill  that  big  deer.  He 
escaped  from  me.  I  could  not  take  that  big  deer.  I  could  not  take 
him.  It  frightened  me,  when  I  could  not  take  him.  I  tried.  I  tried 
to  break  his  neck.  You  had  better  tell  my  son-in-law. ' ' 


1917]  Gifford:  Miwok  Myths  319 

Chipmunk  said,  "My  father  is  lost,  is  lost,  is  lost  because  of  Sala- 
mander's troubles."  Thus  spoke  Chipmunk,  when  he  started  to 
search  for  his  father.  They  were  a  long  time  finding  his  father's 
tracks.  They  found  only  old  tracks  on  the  rocks.  When  he  found  his 
father's  tracks  on  the  rocks  he  cried.  He  said,  "I  do  not  think  my 
brother  knows  that  his  father  is  lost."  So  spoke  Chipmunk  to  his 
son.  He  tried  to  find  more  tracks,  but  could  not. 

They  crossed  the  creek  and  sought  his  father 's  tracks  there.  Across 
the  creek  he  saw  a  large  deer  which  he  followed  a  long  distance  up 
the  creek. 

There  he  met  two  women.  He  stopped  when  he  saw  them 
approaching.  He  tried  to  leave  the  trail.  Then  he  stopped.  He  did 
not  want  to  go  farther.  "Let  us  catch  him,"  the  women  said,  "He 
is  going  to  pass  near  us.  We  will  not  let  him  pass. ' ' 

Chipmunk  said,  "Get  away,  please.  I  am  searching  for  my 
father. ' '  He  tried  his  best  to  push  the  two  women  from  the  path,  but 
they  would  not  move.  Again  he  tried  to  pass  between  them,  but  they 
would  not  leave  the  trail.  He  did  not  want  to  do  it,  but  again  he 
tried  to  go  between  them.  Then  they  caught  him. 

They  called  to.  their  father  to  come  down  the  mountain  and  help 
to  take  him  up.  "Father,  we  have  caught  a  man,  who  is  looking  for 
his  father.  He  has  been  searching  and  has  had  nothing  to  eat  for 
ten  days."  Then  their  father  came  to  help  them  take  their  prisoner 
home.  "Keep  your  father  away  from  me,"  Chipmunk  said  to  the 
girls.  '  'I  do  not  want  him  to  come  near  me. ' ' 

' '  I  think  this  is  my  last  chance  to  attempt  to  escape  from  you  girls. 
I  wonder  if  my  brothers  know  that  I  am  going  to  be  lost.  This  is  my 
own  fault.  I  should  not  have  been  caught,  if  I  had  not  been  looking 
for  my  father.  I  think  they  did  the  same  thing  to  my  father. ' ' 

The  girls  called,  "Father,  throw  a  rope,  throw  a  rope.  We  have 
caught  our  man. ' '  Thus  they  called  to  their  father  when  they  wanted 
him  to  throw  them  a  rope.  Thus  they  called,  when  they  caught  Chip- 
munk and  when  they  told  their  father  to  throw  a  rope. 

"He  is  my  man,  sister.  He  is  my  man,"  the  younger  sister  said 
to  the  older.  The  younger  one  shouted  again  to  her  father,  "Throw 
that  rope.  Hurry.  We  have  our  man.  We  have  our  man.  I  do 
not  know  what  we  shall  feed  him. ' '  Thus  spoke  the  younger  Deer  girl, 
when  she  turned  into  a  real  woman. 

"Throw,  and  throw,  and  throw  that  rope,  father.  I  have  my  man. 
Mine.  My  man.  Father,  father,  throw  that  rope.  We  must  bring 


320  University  of  California  Publications  in  Am.  Arch,  and  Ethn.     [Vol.  12 

him  up  there.  I  do  not  know  what  I  shall  feed  him.  I  do  not  know 
what  he  eats." 

Their  father  said,  ' '  My  children,  my  children.  My  poor  girls  have 
caught  their  man.  I  do  not  know  where  they  found  him."  Thus  he 
spoke,  when  he  threw  the  rope.  He  was  glad  to  hear  his  daughter 
tell  him  to  throw  the  rope.  He  said,  "  I  do  not  know,  I  do  not  know,  I 
do  not  know  what  they  will  feed  him."  Thus  spoke  the  old  man  to 
his  daughters.  He  was  glad  to  have  a  son-in-law,  for  he  was  becoming 
old.  Thus  sang  old  Deer.  He  continued,  "I  do  not  know  where,  I 
do  not  know  where,  I  do  not  know  where  they  will  keep  him.  I  do 
not  know  where  they  will  keep  my  son-in-law. ' '  So  spoke  the  old  man, 
when  he  saw  his  son-in-law.  Thus  he  spoke,  thus  he  spoke,  when  he 
felt  glad  that  his  daughters  were  considering  marriage.  He  was  so 
happy  over  his  son-in-law,  that  he  danced  and  sang. 

"I  have  my  man.  I  have  my  man,"  the  girls  said,  when  they 
talked  to  their  father  and  told  him  to  throw  them  the  rope.  ' '  I  want 
to  bring  him  up  there.  Throw  me  the  rope,  father.  I  do  not  know 
what  I  shall  feed  him,  when  I  get  him  up  there.  I  have  all  sorts  of 
things  for  him  to  eat,  but  I  do  not  know  what  he  eats."  Thus  they 
spoke  after  they  caught  Chipmunk,  after  they  caught  him,  while  he 
was  travelling  everywhere.  "Father,  throw  that  rope.  Throw  it. 
I  am  going  to  catch  my  man."  Thus  she  spoke,  when  she  told  her 
father  to  throw  the  rope.  "I  have  my  man,"  she  said,  when  she 
talked  to  her  father  at  the  top  of  the  sky. 

"Let  us  search  for  our  brother,"  said  Brown  Bird  to  Tuyipitina 
[another  bird].  He  spoke  thus  while  he  sang  in  the  middle  of  the 
water.  Thus  spoke  Brown  Bird,  when  he  chased  the  deer  after  he 
had  missed  Chipmunk.  "Get  ready,"  he  said,  "We  will  search  for 
our  brother. ' '  Then  Brown  Bird  and  Tuyipitina  went.  They  alighted 
on  the  horn  of  a  deer  and  remained  there.  Brown  Bird  alighted  on 
the  horn  a  bit  higher  than  Tuyipitina.  "We  have  obtained  the  deer 
for  which  our  brother  has  searched, ' '  said  Brown  Bird  to  Tuyipitina. 
The  deer  ran  with  Brown  Bird  and  Tuyipitina.  The  two  of  them  could 
not  hold  him.  Brown  Bird  said,  "Let  us  go,  let  us  go."  This  hap- 
pened in  the  night. 

Chipmunk  said,  "I  do  not  know  who  has  captured  me.  I  do  not 
know  where  they  will  take  me.  I  do  not  know  where  they  will  take 
me. ' '  Thus  he  spoke  as  the  girls  tied  him.  Thus  he  spoke  while  they 
tied  him  with  the  rope.  He  thought  that  it  was  to  be  his  last  time 
upon  earth.  "I  do  not  know  if  anyone  will  find  me,"  he  said.  "It 


1917]  Glfford:  MiwoTc  Myths  321 

is  Salamander's  fault  that  I  am  caught.  If  I  escape  I  shall  even  the 
score  with  Salamander."  Thus  he  spoke  after  they  took  him  to  the 
sky. 

He  did  not  know  how  to  escape.  When  he  arrived  there,  he  saw 
many  deer.  He  was  surprised  to  see  so  many  deer.  He  sang.  He 
sang  there.  He  sang.  He  did  not  know  where  he  was.  He  was 
afraid  after  they  brought  him  there. 

They  cooked  and  cooked,  cooked  many  kinds  of  seeds  such  as  we 
[the  Miwok]  eat.  The  girls  said,  as  they  were  about  to  feed  him, 
"Tell  them  to  cook  one  kind  of  seed  for  him."  Chipmunk  did  not 
want  to  eat  seeds.  There  were  all  sorts  of  seeds,  but  he  did  not  want 
them.  They  tried  to  feed  him  many  kinds  of  seeds.  In  despair  the 
girls  said  to  each  other,  ' '  I  do  not  know  what  he  likes  to  eat. ' '  They 
did  not  know  what  he  liked  to  eat. 

One  of  the  girls  told  the  deer,  "Here  is  this  one,  who  always 
searches  for  us."  All  of  the  deer  looked  at  Chipmunk.  "I  do  not 
know,  I  do  not  know,  I  do  not  know  what  we  shall  feed  him, ' '  said  one 
of  the  Deer  girls.  "I  fear  we  shall  starve  him."  Thus  they  spoke, 
when  they  gave  him  the  seed  to  eat. 

"Take  it  away  from  me.  Do  not  place  it  near  me,"  said  Chip- 
munk, for  the  seed  did  not  smell  good  to  him.  They  did  not  put  the 
seed  near  him.  Chipmunk  said,  "You  girls  might  just  as  well  let  me 
eat  your  father.  I  am  getting  hungry.  I  might  just  as  well  eat  your 
father.  I  shall  eat  your  father.  There  is  no  use  trying  to  save  him. 
The  old  man  is  pretty  poor,  but  I  shall  eat  him  just  the  same." 

"Our  father  is  across  the  way,"  said  the  girls.  "Let  me  see  how 
I  can  shoot  with  my  bow  and  arrow, ' '  said  Chipmunk.  Then  he  began 
to  sing  and  old  Deer  became  fat.  Old  Deer  became  so  fat  that  he 
could  scarcely  walk.  Chipmunk  continued  singing.  That  was  all  he 
did.  Finally  he  arose.  He  took  one  arrow  with  him.  Then  he  knelt, 
the  two  girls  holding  him.  He  shot  old  Deer  with  the  arrow.  Deer 
was  old,  but  he  was  fat. 

One  girl  on  each  side  held  him  after  he  killed  their  father.  They 
watched  him,  as  he  removed  the  fat  and  hide  from  old  Deer.  He 
intended  to  make  garments  of  the  hide. 

"That  is  the  way  they  treat  us,"  said  the  girls  as  they  watched 
Chipmunk  skinning  their  father.  All  of  the  deer  were  watching 
Chipmunk.  Chipmunk  tried  to  keep  the  girls  away  from  their 
father 's  body.  He  said,  ' '  Keep  away,  girls.  Keep  away.  You  might 
step  in  the  blood  of  your  father." 


322  University  of  California  Publications  in  Am.  Arch,  and  Ethn.     [Vol.  12 

"I  do  not  know  where  I  shall  go,  after  I  have  eaten  this  Deer," 
said  Chipmunk.  "If  I  do  not  leave  this  place,  I  think  I  must  kill 
more."  Thus  spoke  Chipmunk  to  himself.  "I  shall  try  my  best  to 
leave  this  place." 

Chipmunk's  older  brother  searched  for  him.  He  travelled  all 
over  the  world,  travelled  to  the  edge  of  the  world,  looking  for  his 
brother.  His  older  brother  said,  while  he  searched  for  him,  "I  do 
not  know  what  has  happened  to  my  brother.  I  find  him  nowhere." 
Meanwhile  Chipmunk  ate  the  deer.  The  other  deer  stood  about 
watching  him.  He  ate  and  sang  at  the  same  time,  while  his  brother 
searched  for  him  all  over  the  world. 

Chipmunk's  older  brother  said,  "My  brother,  my  brother.  I  do 
not  know  where  he  has  gone."  Thus  he  spoke  as  he  travelled  about 
the  world  in  search  of  Chipmunk.  He  travelled  night  and  day  with- 
out food  in  search  of  his  brother. 

At  last  he  arrived  at  the  place  where  the  Deer  women  had  cap- 
tured Chipmunk.  His  leg  became  entangled  in  some  of  the  rope  which 
they  had  dropped  when  they  tied  Chipmunk.  He  knew  what  had 
happened  to  his  brother,  when  he  found  the  rope.  He  cried  and  he 
cried,  when  he  discovered  what  had  happened  to  his  brother.  "I 
fear  they  killed  my  brother  after  they  took  him  up  there,"  he  said. 
He  cried,  he  cried,  and  he  cried.  He  did  not  know  how  to  climb  to 
the  sky,  where  his  brother  had  been  taken.  While  he  cried,  he  said, 
"I  shall  try  to  climb  somehow.  If  I  reach  that  place,  I  will  put 
the  deer  to  sleep. 

He  went  there  in  the  night,  crying  all  the  way  while  he  climbed. 
He  found  his  brother.  He  said,  "We  are  going  home.  We  are  going 
home."  When  he  spoke  thus,  he  cried  anew.  Then  Chipmunk  cried, 
when  he  saw  his  brother  cry. 

Chipmunk  told  his  brother  to  cry  no  more,  "For,"  he  said,  "I 
am  still  safe."  His  older  brother  sang,  while  he  put  the  deer  to 
sleep.  "We  are  going.  We  are  going.  Get  ready,"  he  said.  He 
brought  a  bow  and  arrows.  Then  he  said  to  his  younger  brother, 
"You  get  on  one  end  of  this  arrow.  We  are  going."  Then  he  shot 
two  arrows.  His  brother  hung  to  one  and  he  hung  to  the  other.  The 
arrows  struck  at  their  home.  Thus  he  brought  his  brother  back. 

He  continued  to  cry  after  he  had  brought  his  brother  home.  He 
said  to  him,  ' '  You  had  better  stay  home.  You  had  better  stay  home. 
Never  hunt  again."  Thus  he  spoke  to  his  brother  and  it  made  his 
brother  cry.  "Don't  ever  go  into  the  hills  again."  Thus  he  spoke 


1917]  Gifford:  Miwok  Myths  323 

to  his  younger  brother,  Chipmunk.  "Don't  ever  go  into  the  hills 
again.  Do  not  go  into  the  hills  any  more.  They  might  catch  you 
again. ' '  Thus  spoke  the  older  brother  to  Chipmunk. 

Chipmunk  said,  "I  was  caught  because  of  Salamander.  All  of 
this  trouble  is  his  fault.  Salamander  got  me  into  this  trouble.  I 
will  have  revenge  upon  him,  when  I  reach  home."  He  was  crying, 
as  he  walked  toward  his  house.  He  sang  also  as  he  walked  toward 
his  house.  He  said  to  himself,  "When  I  enter  my  house,  I  shall  build 
a  fire." 

Salamander  lay  beside  the  fire.  Chipmunk  said  to  him,  "I  shall 
kill  you.  I  shall  throw  you  into  the  fire.  You  might  just  as  well  take 
your  last  breath  now."  Thus  he  spoke  to  Salamander  after  he  had 
built  the  fire.  He  lifted  him  to  throw  him  into  the  fire.  He  said  to 
Salamander,  "You  are  the  fellow  who  deceived  me.  You  told  me 
that  you  saw  large  deer.  You  may  just  as  well  take  your  last  breath 
on  this  spot."  Thus  he  spoke  when  he  threw  Salamander  into  the 
fire.  Thus  he  sang  after  he  had  thrown  Salamander  into  the  fire. 

Chipmunk  said,  "I  shall  leave,  leave  this  place.  I  shall  stay  here 
no  longer."  Thus  he  spoke,  when  he  left.  "I  shall  never  return  to 
this  place.  I  am  going,  I  am  going  to  my  home.  I  am  going  to  my 
home  to  eat  that  which  I  always  eat."  While  he  proceeded  home- 
ward, he  sang  about  the  food  which  he  would  eat  in  his  home.  "I 
am  going  home,  I  am  going  home,"  he  said,  as  he  journeyed  up  the 
mountains  toward  his  home.  Thus  he  sang,  as  he  journeyed  toward 
his  home.  Thus  he  spoke,  as  he  walked  up  the  trail  toward  his 
home.  Thus  he  sang,  as  he  went  over  the  trail  at  night.  He  looked 
for  large  deer  as  he  went  home  in  the  night.  He  arrived  at 
home  about  sunrise,  reaching  the  house  where  dwelt  his  brother  and 
his  sister.  He  said  to  himself,  "I  have  reached  home.  I  am  now 
with  my  brother  and  sister.  Now  I  am  safe.  I  shall  worry  no  more. ' ' 
He  was  glad  to  be  home. 


10.     LIZARD  AND  FOX 

Lizard  said,  "I  am  going  to  see  the  worms."  "Do  not  come  near 
me.  Do  not  come  near  me,"  said  Worm.  "You  do  not  smell 
good, ' '  Lizard  said,  when  he  saw  Worm.  ' '  Keep  away  from  me.  Keep 
away  from  me.  Do  not  come  near  me.  Keep  away  from  me.  Keep 
away  from  me.  I  do  not  want  that  grass  after  it  is  cooked.  It  does 
not  smell  good."  Worm  was  on  the  fire.  "I  did  not  like  him  after  I 


324  University  of  California  Publications  in  Am.  Arch,  and  Ethn.     [Vol.  12 

had  a  good  look  at  him,"  said  Lizard.  He  said  that  from  the  top 
of  a  big  log.  He  did  not  like  to  drink  water.  He  did  not  want  to 
drink  water.  Water  did  not  smell  good.  "Keep  away.  Keep  away, 
Tarantula.  That  grass  smells  bloody,"  Lizard  said.  He  spoke  thus, 
because  he  did  not  like  grass. 

Thus  spoke  Lizard  when  he  sang  about  his  food  below.  "I  am 
going  below,"  said  Lizard,  "I  go  there  to  eat  worms.  Then  I  will 
return  and  see  where  Fox  is  going  to  hunt.'  Thus  sang  Lizard  from 
the  top  of  the  log. 

Lizard  did  not  like  seed.  He  did  not  like  grass.  Thus  he  sang 
from  the  top  of  the  log.  When  Tarantula  brought  him  food,  he  said, 
"Keep  away  from  me.  Keep  away  from  me.  I  do  not  like  grass.  I 
would  rather  eat  worms  below."  Thus  sang  Lizard  about  his  food 
below. 

Tarantula  asked  Lizard,  "Why  don't  you  like  the  food  that  I 
eat?"  Lizard  replied,  "It  does  not  smell  good  to  me.  I  am  going. 
I  am  going.  The  ground  is  damp  below. ' ' 

"Be  sure  to  return,"  said  Tarantula,  "for  Fox  is  going  to  hunt." 
"I  go  below  to  eat  worms,"  said  Lizard,  "I  shall  return."  Thus 
spoke  Lizard  when  he  was  starving.  "I  am  going  below,  then  I  will 
return.  There  is  no  food  for  me  here."  Tarantula  said,  "You  must 
surely  return,  because  Fox  is  preparing  to  hunt  in  the  hills. ' ' 

Fox  was  preparing  to  hunt.  He  said,  ' '  I  wonder  if  Mountain  Lion 
is  ready?  Are  all  of  you  hunters  ready?  Mountain  Quail  may  go 
with  us.  Skunk  may  go  with  us.  Coyote  may  go  with  us.  Wolf  may 
go  with  us.  We  are  going  to  hunt  deer.  Put  Skunk  on  the  lower  side 
of  the  hill.  Dove  may  go  with  us.  Hummingbird  may  go  with  us.. 
They  may  all  run  on  the  hill.  Crow  may  go  with  us." 

"I  shall  kill  a  large  deer,"  said  Mountain  Lion,  when  Fox  told 
him  that  he  might  hunt.  Mountain  Lion  continued,  "Confine  Night 
Hawk,  for  he  is  likely  to  steal  from  us,  if  we  leave  the  camp.  I  am 
going  ahead.  I  know  where  the  big  deer  stay.  Do  not  take  Night 
Hawk  with  you,  because  he  might  take  a  whole  deer  in  his  mouth. 
I  shall  kill  a  large  deer  for  us.  I  shall  kill  no  small  deer,"  boasted 
Mountain  Lion.  So  spoke  Mountain  Lion,  when  he  prepared  to  hunt 
for  the  large  deer.  He  said,  "I  am  going  into  the  hills  ahead  of  the 
rest,  to  get  a  large  deer  for  us. ' ' 

Mountain  Quail  said,  "I  will  break  the  neck  of  the  large  deer. 
I  will  break  the  neck.  I  will  break  it,  I  will  break  it."  Thus  spoke 
Mountain  Quail  before  he  started.  He  continued,  "You  people  can- 


1917]  Gifford:  Miwok  Myths  325 

not  enter  the  brush.  I  will  enter  the  brush.  I  fear  nothing.  I  do 
not  think  that  you  people  are  brave  enough  to  enter  the  brush.  I 
shall  enter  the  brush  between  those  large  mountains.  I  shall  break 
his  neck.  I  shall  break  his  neck,  when  I  meet  him  in  the  brush,  when 
I  meet  the  large  deer  in  the  brush.  I  think  that  the  rest  of  you  are 
not  brave  enough  to  enter  the  brush  between  those  great  mountains. 
I  am  the  one  who  always  enters  the  brush."  So  spoke  Mountain 
Quail,  while  he  travelled  toward  the  brush  between  those  great  moun- 
tains. "I  am  going  into  that  brush.  I  think  you  people  are  afraid 
to  enter  that  brush,  for  fear  that  you  might  meet  a  bear."  So  spoke 
Mountain  Quail. 

Bald  Eagle  said,  "I  am  going  too.  I  shall  kill  a  large  deer  also. 
I  do  not  think  you  people  can  find  a  large  deer.  I  do  not  think  you 
can  fan  the  large  deer.  I  do  not  think  you  can  fan  the  large  deer. 
When  I  fan  him,  I  shall  put  him  to  sleep.  Then  I  shall  kill  him.  You 
tried  to  get  ahead  of  me  by  leaving  me  behind.  You  must  think  that 
I  am  too  old.  I  shall  fan  the  big  deer  with  my  two  wings,  from  both 
sides  of  the  hill.  From  both  sides  I  will  fan  him  with  my  two  wings. 
I  am  going.  I  am  going  to  help  you  find  the  deer.  I  know  where  the 
deer  stay.  I  will  find  them  before  you  do.  1  shall  fan  the  large  deer 
with  my  two  wings.  When  I  see  one  I  shall  put  him  to  sleep.  I 
shall  fan  him.  I  shall  fan  him."  Thus  spoke  Bald  Eagle,  when  he 
prepared  to  hunt,  when  he  told  the  Mountain  Lion  to  prepare.  Thus 
he  spoke.  Thus  he  spoke.  "I  am  going.  You  people  stay  on  each 
side  of  the  creek  and  I  will  fan  him  with  both  wings  from  the  middle. ' ' 

Wolf  said,  "I  shall  chase  him  until  I  run  him  down.  I  shall  chase 
the  fawns,  which  sneak  away  from  the  big  ones.  If  they  escape  from 
you  hunters,  I  will  chase  them."  So  spoke  Wolf,  as  he  prepared  to 
hunt  with  Mountain  Lion.  "I  will  run  them  over  the  hills.  Just 
watch  me.  I  will  collect  the  deer  in  one  place.  I  will  run  from  sun- 
down until  sunrise,  so  that  you  hunters  can  kill  them  while  I  sleep. 
I  will  gather  them  in  the  night.  Then  when  you  start,  send  Skunk 
to  me.  If  they  escape  from  you,  awaken  me  and  I  will  pursue  them 
until  I  capture  them,"  said  Wolf. 

Coyote  said,  ' '  I  shall  be  there  when  the  deer  run.  I  shall  eat  them, 
while  they  run.  There  is  no  use  of  you  hunters  running,  while  I  am 
there.  You  know  that  I  am  a  good  runner.  If  the  deer  get  away 
from  you,  I  shall  chase  them.  I  shall  chase  them.  I  shall  chase  them. 
I  shall  chase  them.  I  shall  chase  them  whether  the  ground  is  rough 
or  smooth.  I  shall  capture  them  just  the  same."  So  spoke  Coyote 


326  University  of  California  Publications  in  Am.  Arch,  and  Ethn.     [Vol.  12 

before  the  party  set  out.  "I  will  bite  the  leg  of  the  deer  while  he 
runs.  The  deer  will  have  no  chance  to  escape, ' '  said  Coyote. 

"I  shall  go  with  you,  for  I  can  find  the  deer  in  any  place.  I  can 
find  them  anywhere.  I  know  how  to  find  them.  I  shall  look  down 
from  the  hills  just  before  sunrise.  I  can  find  more  deer  than  all  of 
you.  I  will  eat  nothing  but  deers '  eyes, ' '  said  Crow,  for  he  was  very 
fond  of  them.  "When  we  hunt,  I  shall  find  the  deer  for  you.  I 
know  how  to  find  them.  "When  we  return,  all  that  you  need  give  me 
are  the  deers'  eyes.  Perhaps  you  do  not  believe  that  I  can  find  deer. 
I  can  find  the  deer  before  sunrise  or  after  sundown.  Eagle  thinks 
that  he  is  the  only  one  who  can  find  deer.  I  shall  go  with  you.  I 
shall  find  those  deer  for  you.  I  excel  Eagle  in  finding  deer." 

Fox  prepared  the  men  to  hunt.  He  said,  "We  are  going.  Get 
ready.  Get  ready.  Get  ready,  Mountain  Quail.  Get  ready,  Eagle. 
Get  ready,  Coyote.  Get  ready,  Wolf.  Awaken  Skunk,  prepare  him, 
for  he  must  walk  on  the  side  of  the  hill.  Keep  track  of  Night  Hawk. 
Keep  him  hidden,  for  he  is  likely  to  swallow  a  whole  deer. ' '  So  spoke 
Fox,  when  he  became  the  head  chief  and  when  he  prepared  his  people 
for  the  hunt.  "Gather  Mountain  Lion,  Coyote,  and  Wolf  on  one  side 
of  the  hill  in  an  open  place.  They  are  good  hunters. ' ' 

Black  Fox  said,  "I  always  go  into  the  difficult  places.  I  am 
going,  too.  I  am  going  into  the  middle  of  the  brush,  when  we  hunt. 
I  shall  scent  the  deer  from  there.  I  shall  enter  the  deep  canyons  and 
look  for  their  tracks. ' '  So  spoke  Black  Fox.  Mountain  Lion  warned 
him,  ' ' You  must  be  careful,  when  you  enter  the  hills. "  "I  fear  noth- 
ing," Black  Fox  retorted.  "I  will  enter  the  thickest  brush.  I  will 
enter  the  brush  and  drive  out  the  deer."  So  spoke  Black  Fox  to 
Fox.  Fox  said  that  he  was  ready  to  start  whenever  his  men  were. 
' '  You  must  keep  the  big  deer  separate, ' '  he  said  to  Black  Fox.  Black 
Fox  said,  "I  shall  start  ahead  and  enter  the  hills.  When  you  are 
ready,  send  Mountain  Quail  to  awaken  me. ' ' 

Skunk  said,  "Just  watch  me  hunt.  I  am  going  out  to  kill  deer. 
I  get  them  from  both  sides.  After  you  have  separated  the  large  deer, 
tell  me  where  they  are  and  I  will  eject  my  fluid  upon  them.  I  will 
kill  them  all.  I  will  make  the  fluid,  which  I  eject  upon  them,  very 
strong.  But  I  want  someone  to  carry  me,  because  I  cannot  walk  fast. 
I  will  have  a  load  on  me,  anyway.  I  want  to  be  sure  to  get  a  number 
of  deer  with  my  fluid.  From  the  north  side,  I  will  eject  my  fluid. 
From  the  west  side,  I  will  eject.  From  the  east  side,  I  will  eject. 
From  the  south  side,  I  will  eject.  After  you  have  gathered  the  deer, 


1917]  Gifford:  Miwok  Myths  327 

carry  me  to  the  place  where  they  are.  I  will  take  my  son-in-law 
with  me.  I  will  dance  on  the  top  of  a  small  rock,  singing  my  song. ' ' 

Dove  said,  "I  shall  eat  seed  before  I  go.  I  shall  eat  seed  before  I 
go.  I  shall  run.  I  shall  run  after  I  eat  the  seed.  You  people  cannot 
run.  You  stay  in  the  brush."  Thus  spoke  Dove  to  Chief  Fox.  "If 
a  deer  escapes  from  you,  I  shall  capture  him,"  continued  Dove.  "If 
you  people  eat  the  deer,  I  shall  eat  the  seed.  I  shall  help  you  to 
obtain  the  deer."  When  Dove  was  ready,  he  said,  "Let  us  go.  Let 
Hummingbird  come  with  me."  Dove  took  Hummingbird  with  him, 
when  he  went  ahead  of  the  rest  of  the  part.  He  said  to  Humming- 
bird, "Let  us  race.  We  will  see  who  kills  a  deer  first.  Let  us  race. 
Let  us  race. ' '  Hummingbird  accepted  the  challenge. 

Hummingbird  said,  "When  I  ran  a  race  with  Dove,  I  travelled 
quite  fast.  We  were  just  about  even  at  the  end.  I  will  try  to  eat 
the  seeds  that  Dove  eats.  I  will  also  eat  flowers.  I  shall  run  another 
race  with  him.  I  shall  run  a  race  with  him  to  the  end  of  the  world. 
I  shall  not  go  only  to  the  middle  of  the  world  in  my  race  with  Dove. 
I  shall  race  him  to  the  end  of  the  world.  When  he  and  I  race,  it 
is  a  tie.  I  shall  run  a  race  to  the  end  of  the  world.  If  he  ties  me 
again,  then  he  and  I  will  travel  together  for  all  time.  If  he  ties  me, 
he  and  I  will  return  and  help  Fox  to  kill  the  deer.  He  and  I  eat  the 
seeds  and  flowers.  Let  him  try  the  flowers  and  I  will  try  the  seeds." 

Fox  said,  "Tell  Hummingbird  not  to  get  in  the  middle.  Tell 
him  not  to  get  in  the  middle.  The  men  had  better  not  travel  too  fast 
at  first,  for  they  will  have  plenty  of  running  after  we  enter  the  hills. ' ' 
So  spoke  Chief  Fox,  when  he  prepared  his  hunters.  He  said  to  Moun- 
tain Lion  and  to  Eagle,  "Get  ready.  Take  up  certain  stations,  where 
the  deer  come  out."  He  told  Wolf  to  take  his  station  near  a  place 
where  the  deer  always  come  out.  "Dove  and  Hummingbird  are  to 
run  first,"  he  told  Chief  Mountain  Lion.  Chief  Fox  told  his  men 
to  get  ready,  when  he  prepared  to  hunt  deer.  "I  see  that  all  of  you 
are  willing  to  hunt, ' '  he  said. 

Brown  Wren  said,  "Coyote  and  I  shall  race.  I  do  not  think  that 
Coyote  can  beat  me  running.  When  I  come  home,  I  will  race  with 
California  Jay.  I  will  see  how  fast  Jay  can  run.  Jay  and  I  will  try 
each  other  in  a  shooting  contest,  to  see  who  is  the  better.  Jay  and  I 
will  shoot  at  each  other  with  arrows  to  see  who  can  jump  about  the 
quicker.  If  he  excels  me  at  jumping,  then  perhaps  he  can  hit  me. 
I  shall  shoot  four  arrows  and  he  will  shoot  four.  I  shall  give  him  the 
first  shot.  Then  I  will  shoot  at  him.  I  do  not  know  who  will  be  next 


328  University  of  California  Publications  in  Am.  Arch,  and  Ethn.     [Vol.  12 

in  the  running  of  races.  I  fear  that  Jay  will  not  get  out  of  the 
way  in  time,  when  I  use  my  arrow." 

California  Jay  said,  "I  do  not  think  that  you  can  hit  me.  You 
can  try  and  try.  Thus  I  will  sing,  when  I  dodge  your  arrows.  Thus 
I  will  do,  when  I  tire  you.  I  do  not  believe  that  you  can  hit  me.  I 
eat  nothing  but  acorns.  That  is  what  makes  me  so  lively.  If  I  am 
seated,  when  the  deer  come  out  of  the  brush,  I  am  not  going  to  arise. 
I  will  kill  the  deer  without  arising.  Thus  I  will  handle  the  deer,  when 
they  come  out  of  the  brush.  Are  you  a  good  dodger  ?  Are  you  a  good 
dodger  ?  You  are  going  to  fight  me  with  the  arrow, ' '  he  said  to  Brown 
Wren.  "I  shall  dodge  you  while  I  am  seated.  I  shall  dodge  you 
while  I  am  seated.  I  do  not  think  that  you  can  hit  me  after  I  have 
arranged  my  hair.  You  can  try.  You  can  try,  but  you  will  find 
that  I  am  a  good  dodger. ' ' 

Turkey  Vulture  said,  "That  is  the  way  I  shall  do,  when  I  put  the 
deer  to  sleep.  Thus  shall  I  do.  Thus  shall  I  do.  I  shall  look  for  the 
deer  in  the  hills.  Thus  shall  I  do,  when  I  hunt  them  in  the  brush. 
You  will  find  them,  when  the  blood  turns  into  a  rainbow.  Then  you 
will  find  them.  I  shall  do  my  best.  I  shall  do  my  best  to  be  the  first 
to  obtain  a  deer.  If  I  find  dead  deer  after  you  return  home,  I  shall 
eat  them."  Thus  spoke  Turkey  Vulture.  Thus  he  spoke,  as  they 
journeyed  into  the  hills  and  as  he  looked  for  dead  animals  in  the 
hills.  He  continued,  "I  find  the  dead  animals  from  the  high  moun- 
tains. When  I  see  the  blood,  I  shall  come  and  tell  you.  When  I  look 
for  deer,  I  wheel  in  one  place.  When  the  sun  rises,  you  will  see 
the  blood  turn  into  a  rainbow. ' '  So  spoke  Turkey  Vulture  to  Fox. 

Turtle  said,  "I  will  obtain  water  for  the  men  when  they  are  in 
the  hills.  I  will  obtain  water  for  them,  when  they  hunt.  I  will  obtain 
water  to  wash  the  intestines.  I  will  carry  water  for  the  hunters.  I 
always  carry  water.  I  do  not  have  to  hunt  with  the  men."  Thus 
spoke  Turtle,  as  he  returned  to  the  water.  "I  shall  get  no  deer.  I 
shall  get  no  deer,'  he  said.  Turtle  always  carried  water  for  the 
hunters.  He  always  carried  water.  He  knows  how  to  carry  water. 
He  sings  all  the  while,  that  he  carries  water.  All  that  he  does  is  to 
sing  beside  the  water.  He  sings  that  he  is  to  carry  water. 

Fox  told  his  hunters  to  go  and  they  all  departed.  All  of  the  deer 
passed  by  Fox.  All  of  the  deer  passed  by  Fox.  He  paid  no  atten- 
tion to  them,  but  just  watched  them.  The  deer  scattered.  Each  of 
the  other  hunters  obtained  one.  Most  of  the  deer  passed  by  Fox.  He 
just  watched  them  until  the  last  came.  As  the  last  one  approached, 


1917]  Gifford:  Miwok  Myths  329 

he  put  his  arrow  in  the  bow  and  shot  it.  The  arrow  passed  through 
the  deer  and  penetrated  all  of  the  deer  that  were  in  line.  In  four 
gulches  were  four  different  deer  that  Fox  killed.  That  many  deer  he 
obtained  with  one  arrow.  The  feat  showed  that  Fox  was  a  better 
hunter  than  the  others. 

Then  Skunk  visited  his  son-in-law  (Fox),  while  they  skinned  the 
deer.  He  said  to  his  son-in-law,  ' '  May  I  ride  on  top  of  the  pack,  when 
you  carry  it?"  Thus  spoke  Skunk  to  his  son-in-law.  His  son-in-law 
replied,  "You  will  be  too  heavy  on  top  of  the  deer.  I  have  all  that 
I  can  carry  without  you. ' '  So  said  Fox  to  Skunk. 

Skunk  became  angry.  He  said  to  his  son-in-law,  "Don't  say  that 
to  me.  If  you  don 't  carry  me,  I  will  eject  my  fluid  upon  you. ' '  Fox 
retorted,  "Don't  say  that  to  me.  I  will  kill  you.  Don't  eject  your 
fluid  upon  me.  If  you  do,  I  will  kill  you.  I  will  kill  you  with  an 
arrow."  "Don't  say  that,"  said  Skunk.  "I  do  not  wish  to  die. 
There  is  no  one  here  to  help  me,  if  you  shoot  me  with  an  arrow." 

Fox  said  to  Skunk,  "Night  Hawk  has  the  largest  deer  in  his  mouth. 
Hurry,  help  me  skin  this  deer,  or  Night  Hawk  will  get  them  all.  Be- 
fore we  started  I  told  you  to  leave  Night  Hawk  home."  Fox  went 
to  prevent  Night  Hawk  from  eating  the  largest  deer.  Night  Hawk 
told  Fox  that  he  had  nothing  in  his  mouth.  "The  only  thing  I  have 
in  my  mouth  is  something  which  belongs  to  my  uncle.  I  have  nothing 
of  yours  in  my  mouth."  So  said  Night  Hawk,  when  Fox  threatened 
to  kill  him.  Fox  threatened  to  kill  him,  if  he  did  not  return  the 
deer.  While  Fox  was  talking  to  Night  Hawk,  Skunk  skinned  the 

deer. 

11.     VALLEY  QUAIL'S  ADVENTURES 

"I  am  going  to  visit  my  father,"  said  young  Valley  Quail,  "I 
am  going  up  the  mountain  to  visit  my  father.  Give  me  my  father's 
'poison.'  '  His  father's  "poison"  consisted  of  yellowjackets  and 
other  stinging  insects,  which  he  kept  in  a  bag.  "I  am  going  up  the 
mountain,"  said  young  Quail. 

He  tried  his  father's  poison.  He  said  to  himself,  "I  will  try  it  and 
discover  how  my  father  uses  it."  That  is  what  young  Quail  said 
when  he  saw  the  deer.  He  saw  a  large  band  of  deer.  Then  he 
opened  his  bag  of  yellowjackets.  When  he  opened  it,  they  flew  to 
the  deer  and  killed  them.  He  killed  all  of  the  deer  in  trying  his 
father's  poison. 

"No  one  will  bother  me,"  said  young  Quail.  Then  he  went  up 
the  mountains  through  the  deep  canyons  and  forests. 


330  University  of  California  Publications  in  Am.  Arch,  and  Ethn.     [Vol.  12 

He  found  Coyote.  Coyote  saw  him  and  asked  him  what  he  carried 
in  the  bag.  He  told  Coyote  that  he  carried  his  father's  poison.  Coy- 
ote did  not  believe  him  and  told  young  Quail  that  he  was  too  small  to 
carry  poison.  ' '  I  think  you  have  something  good  to  eat  in  that  bag, ' ' 
said  Coyote.  Young  Quail  retorted,  "No,  I  have  nothing  good  to  eat. 
If  I  open  this  bag,  you  will  die.  I  am  taking  this  poison  to  my 
father." 

Coyote  was  not  satisfied,  but  begged  young  Quail  to  open  the  bag. 
Quail  became  angry  and  gave  Coyote  the  bag,  telling  him  to  open 
it  and  eat  what  he  found  within.  When  Coyote  opened  it,  the  yellow- 
jackets  flew  out  and  stung  him  to  death.  Then  young  Quail  called  his 
poison  back  into  the  bag.  All  of  the  yellowjackets  entered  the  bag 
at  his  request.  He  proceeded  upon  his  way. 

Next  he  met  a  bear.  He  said  to  himself,  "  I  do  not  know  what  I  am 
going  to  do  with  that  bear.  I  do  not  think  my  poison  will  kill  him. 
I  will  try  it,  anyhow."  So  saying,  he  opened  the  bag.  The  yellow- 
jackets  flew  to  the  bear,  to  a  number  of  bears  under  the  trees.  The 
yellowjackets  killed  all  of  the  bears.  Then  young  Quail  recalled 
them. 

He  did  not  know  which  way  to  go  after  the  yellowjackets  had 
returned  to  the  bag.  He  was  very  tired,  but  he  said,  ' '  I  will  continue 
on  my  way."  Proceeding  farther,  he  found  a  mountain  lion  in  a 
large  tree.  He  did  not  know  what  to  do  when  he  saw  the  mountain 
lion.  He  said,  "Mountain  lion  will  eat  me,  I  fear."  Then  he  sat  on 
a  rock.  He  feared  to  pass  the  tree  in  which  the  mountain  lion  sat. 
He  said  to  himself,  "I  think  I  shall  not  reach  my  father's  place.  I 
fear  this  mountain  lion  will  kill  me.  I  do  not  know  what  to  do.  I 
think  that  this  animal  in  the  tree  is  the  one  my  father  has  always 
warned  me  about.  I  think  this  is  a  mountain  lion,  the  kind  that 
slaps  people.  I  fear  that  I  cannot  kill  him,  but  I  will  try."  He 
turned  loose  his  yellowjackets.  They  killed  the  mountain  lion.  After 
he  had  killed  the  mountain  lion,  he  recalled  his  yellowjackets. 

' '  That  is  the  way  I  will  do  to  anything  that  attempts  to  hurt  me. ' ' 
Then  he  proceeded  upon  his  way.  He  found  a  spring  between  two 
large  rocks.  Just  as  he  stooped  to  drink  he  saw  a  mountain  sheep. 
He  said  to  himself,  "Mountain  sheep  is  all  that  my  father  eats.  I 
think  that  I  will  try  to  kill  this  one."  Then  he  opened  his  bag. 
The  yellowjackets  flew  to  the  mountain  sheep  and  stung  him  to  death. 
He  went  over  to  look  at  the  mountain  sheep  after  he  had  killed  him. 
The  mountain  sheep,  being  dead,  was  unable  to  attack  him.  Young 
Quail  called  his  yellowjackets  into  the  bag  and  went  on  his  way. 


1917]  Gifford:  Miwok  Myths  331 

After  he  had  gone  a  distance,  he  found  a  rattlesnake.  "I  do  not 
know  what  I  shall  do  with  him,"  said  young  Quail.  "I  think  this  is 
rattlesnake,  of  which  my  father  has  told  me.  At  any  rate,  I  will 
try  to  kill  him."  So  saying  he  opened  the  bag  and  sent  the  yellow- 
jackets  to  the  rattlesnake.  After  they  had  killed  the  rattlesnake,  he 
called  them  back,  called  them  back. 

After  his  yellowjackets  had  re-entered  the  bag,  he  journeyed  until 
he  came  to  the  immense  rattlesnake  Hamaua.  "  I  do  not  know  what  I 
shall  do  now.  Hamaua  reaches  almost  a  quarter  of  the  distance  to 
my  father's  place.  I  fear  he  will  kill  me  here.  I  do  not  know  what 
to  do.  I  do  not  know  what  I  shall  do.  I  will  try  to  kill  him  with 
my  father's  poison.  Then  he  released  the  yellowjackets.  They  killed 
Hamaua.  After  he  killed  Hamaua,  he  said,  "My  father  always  takes 
the  skin  of  Hamaua.  I  think  I  will  take  it  too. ' '  He  skinned  Hamaua. 
After  he  had  taken  the  skin,  he  called  the  yellowjackets  back. 

Then  he  continued  up  the  mountain.  He  saw  another  mountain 
sheep  much  larger  than  the  one  which  he  had  already  killed.  "I 
think  I  will  kill  that  one.  I  think  I  will  try  to  kill  him.  That  is  a 
mountain  sheep,  for  which  my  father  always  searches. ' ' 

He  next  met  a  band  of  black  bears.  He  became  so  frightened  that 
he  climbed  a  tree.  ' '  I  will  try  to  kill  them, ' '  he  said,  ' '  but  I  fear  that 
I  cannot."  Then  he  opened  his  bag  and  released  his  yellowjackets. 
They  pursued  the  bears  and  made  them  run.  Then  they  killed  all 
of  the  bears.  After  they  had  killed  the  bears,  he  called  them  back  into 
the  bag  and  then  continued  up  the  mountain. 

At  last  he  arrived  at  his  father's  house.  His  father  asked,  "Who 
brought  you?"  Young  Quail  replied,  "I  came  alone.  I  felt  lonely 
below.  I  worried  every  day  about  you. ' ' 

His  father  asked  him  if  he  had  not  seen  something  coming  up 
the  road.  Young  Quail  replied,  "I  killed  many  things."  His  father 
asked  him  if  he  had  seen  Hamaua.  Then  his  father  asked  him  if  he 
had  skinned  Hamaua.  He  told  his  father  that  he  had.  Young  Quail 
said,  "You  always  told  me  to  test  those  yellowjackets,  when  I  came 
to  see  you.  I  tried  them  and  killed  everything  that  I  saw..  I  brought 
this  poison  to  you." 

His  father  asked  him  what  he  proposed  to  do  with  the  yellow- 
jackets,  asked  him  if  he  wanted  them  for  himself.  "If  you  want  to 
try  my  poison,  you  may  do  so,"  his  father  said.  Young  Quail  then 
proceeded  up  the  mountain  beyond  his  father's  home.  He  found  a 
bear  and  killed  it  in  the  usual  way.  His  father  watched  him.  At  first 
his  father  said,  "  I  do  not  know  how  he  will  do  it. ' '  Then  young  Quail 


332  University  of  California  Publications  in  Am.  Arch,  and  Etlin.     [Vol.  12 

turned  loose  his  yellowjackets.  His  father  laughed  and  asked  him  if 
that  was  what  he  did  as  he  came  up  the  road.  "Who  taught  you?" 
asked  his  father.  "How  do  you  recall  the  yellowjackets?"  Young 
Quail  replied,  "I  recall  them.  Nobody  taught  me.  I  learned  by  my- 
self. You  did  not  teach  me." 

Then  his  father  stopped  questioning  him  and  told  him  that  he 
might  do  whatever  he  pleased.  Young  Quail  replied,  "I  will  return 
tomorrow  the  same  way  that  I  came.  I  just  came  up  to  see  how  you 
were  faring,  so  that  I  might  stop  worrying  about  you."  His  father 
said,  "All  right,  you  may  return,  but  I  would  rather  keep  you  here 
with  me.  However,  I  suppose  you  like  it  better  below.  All  right, 
you  may  go  tomorrow."  Young  Quail  said,  "But  I  will  return  to 
see  you.  I  will  go  back  the  same  way.  I  shall  arrive  home  sometime 
if  nothing  happens  to  me  on  the  way." 

[The  story-teller  said  that  young  Quail  started  from  his  camp  on 
the  west  side  of  the  San  Joaquin  River  and  visited  his  father,  who 
lived  high  in  the  Sierra  Nevada.] 


STORIES  BY  WILLIAM  FULLER 

12.     THE  THEFT  OF  FIRE 

Lizard  saw  the  smoke.  He  said :  ' '  Smoking  below,  smoking  below, 
smoking  below,  smoking  below.  My  grandmother  starts  a  fire  to  cook 
acorns.  It  is  very  lonely." 

Flute-player  (Mouse)  was  sent  down  the  mountains  into  the  valley 
to  secure  the  fire.  Flute-player  departed,  taking  with  him  two  flutes. 
He  finally  arrived  at  the  assembly  house  from  which  the  smoke  was 
issuing.  He  found  it  crowded,  but  he  was  welcomed  and  the  people 
persuaded  him  to  play.  He  played  and  he  played. 

Then  they  put  a  feather  mat  over  the  smoke  hole  at  the  top  of  the 
house  and  shut  the  feathers  in  the  door.  They  closed  the  door  with 
the  feather  dress.  They  told  the  doorkeeper  to  close  the  door  tight. 

Flute-man  played  continuously.  The  people  fell  asleep  and  snored. 
Flute-player  remained  awake  and  played.  Finally,  he  concluded  that 
all  were  fast  asleep.  He  arose  and  took  two  coals  from  the  fire,  plac- 
ing them  in  his  flute.  Then  he  put  two  coals  in  the  second  flute.  He 
proceeded  to  the  door,  cut  loose  the  feathers,  passed  out,  and  started 
homeward. 


1917]  Gifford:  Miwolc  Myths  333 

The  people  awoke  to  find  him  gone  and  with  him  the  fire.  Hail 
and  Rain  were  sent  in  pursuit,  for  they  were  the  two  swiftest  travellers 
among  the  valley  people.  Hail  went,  but  Flute-man  heard  Hail  and 
Rain  coming,  so  he  threw  one  of  his  flutes  under  a  buckeye  tree. 
Rain  asked  him  what  he  had  done  with  the  fire.  ''You  stole  our  fire," 
Rain  said.  Flute-player  denied  it.  Then  Rain  returned  home.  The 
placing  of  the  flute,  with  the  coals  in  it,  under  the  buckeye  tree 
resulted  in  the  fire  always  being  in  the  buckeye. 

When  Rain  started  back,  Flute-man  took  his  fire  from  under  the 
buckeye  and  again  proceeded  homeward.  He  arrived  at  home  safely 
and  brought  the  fire  into  the  assembly  house.  He  told  the  people  that 
Rain  had  taken  one  flute  with  coals  in  it.  He  said,  "Rain  took  one 
flute  from  me.  I  have  only  one  left. ' ' 

The  chief  told  Flute-player  to  build  a  fire,  and  the  latter  pro- 
duced the  coals  from  his  remaining  flute.  A  large  fire  was  made. 
It  was  then  that  people  lost  their  language.  Those  close  to  the  fire 
talked  correctly.  The  people  at  the  north  side  of  the  assembly  house 
talked  brokenly.  Those  at  the  south  side  talked  altogether  different; 
so  did  those  at  the  west  side  and  at  the  east  side.  This  was  because 
of  the  cold. 

Coyote  brought  entrails  and  threw  them  on  the  fire,  extinguishing 
it.  The  people  became  angry  and  expelled  Coyote,  telling  him  to  re- 
main outside  and  to  eat  his  food  raw.  That  is  why  Coyote  always 
eats  his  meat  uncooked. 

13.     BEAR  AND  THE  FAWNS 

"Sister-in-law,  let  us  hunt  grass,"  said  Bear.  "Let  us  go,"  said 
Deer.  After  they  had  gone  a  distance,  Bear  said,  "Let  me  louse  your 
head.  Let  me  bite  the  lice."  Bear  bit  Deer  so  that  she  died. 

Deer  had  told  her  Fawns  before  she  left  that  a  bag  hung  in  the 
house.  She  told  the  Fawns:  "If  your  aunt,  Bear,  harms  me,  bites 
me,  that  bag  will  fall  from  where  it  hangs."  The  bag  fell.  Then 
the  Fawns  saw  their  aunt  returning.  After  she  entered  the  house, 
they  started  to  search  her  basket.  She  said  to  them  crossly,  ' '  You  are 
always  looking  for  something  to  eat.  You  are  always  hungry.  Keep 
away  from  that  basket."  They  kept  searching,  however,  and  found 
their  mother's  liver.  They  cried,  "Liver,  liver." 

Later  the  Fawns  and  the  Bear  Cubs  played  in  a  hole  [sweat 
house?],  fanning  smoke  into  each  other's  faces.  First  the  Cubs 
fanned  the  Fawns.  "When  we  call,  you  must  stop  fanning,"  said 


334  University  of  California  Publications  in  Am.  Arch,  and  Ethn.     [Vol.  12 

the  Fawns.  After  the  Fawns  had  been  smoked,  they  told  the  Cubs 
to  enter.  The  Fawns  then  fanned  the  Cubs  in  the  hole.  The  smoke 
became  too  dense  and  the  Cubs  called  to  the  Fawns  to  cease.  They 
only  fanned  the  harder  until  the  Cubs  were  suffocated. 

"Mother,  mother,  liver;  mother,  mother,  liver;  mother,  mother, 
liver, ' '  cried  the  Fawns.  Their  aunt,  Bear,  said,  ' '  What  is  the  use  of 
talking  about  your  mother.  She  is  camping  for  the  men."  The 
Fawns  only  cried  the  more,  "Mother,  mother,  liver."  "Stop  saying 
that,  or  I  shall  bite  you, ' '  said  Bear.  ' '  Your  mother  is  still  camping. ' ' 

"Grandchildren,  for  whom  are  you  searching?"  said  the  Lizard. 
The  Fawns  replied,  "Grandfather,  we  are  hunting  for  our  mother. 
Grandfather,  will  you  show  us  the  door  of  your  house?  Our  aunt 
wants  to  kill  us.  Mother,  mother,  mother,  mother.  Grandfather,  let 
us  in  on  the  east  side  of  your  house,  on  the  south  side. ' '  Their  grand- 
father finally  let  them  in. 

Bear  arrived  at  Lizard's  house  after  the  latter  had  taken  in  the 
Fawns.  She  called,  "Nieces,  where  are  you?  I  am  looking  for  you. 
Please  let  me  in  quickly. ' '  She  tried  to  enter,  asking  repeatedly  where 
the  door  was  located.  They  told  her  to  go  to  the  top  of  the  house. 
' '  The  door  is  right  on  top  of  the  house, ' '  they  said. 

Meanwhile  they  heated  a  stone  in  the  fire.  They  said  to  Bear: 
"Open  your  mouth  wide  and  come  down  through  the  smoke  hole." 
As  Bear  entered  with  her  mouth  open,  they  shoved  the  red-hot  stone 
down  her  throat.  She  died  in  agony,  being  burned  to  death  from 
within. 

14.     YAYALI,  THE  GIANT 

"Where  are  you,  grandchild?  Where  are  you,  grandchild? 
Where  are  you  ?  Where  are  you  ?  Yes.  Yes.  I  am  lost.  Where  are 
you  ?  This  way.  Where  are  you,  grandchild  ?  Someone  comes.  Look 
out.  Get  ready.  Prepare  yourself,  for  Yayali  comes." 

The  people  broke  cones  from  the  tops  of  the  pine  trees  and  bundled 
these  together.  As  Yayali  started  to  climb  the  declivity  where  the 
people  had  taken  refuge,  they  set  fire  to  the  bundles  of  pine  cones 
and  threw  them  into  Yayali 's  burden  basket.  They  threw  the  burn- 
ing cones  into  the  basket.  Yayali  became  so  hot  that  he  tumbled. 
"Which  way  shall  I  fall?"  he  asked.  They  told  him  to  fall  to  the 
north. 

[The  Giant  met  his  death  near  Columbia,  Tuolumne  County.  The 
informant  has  seen  white  rocks  near  Columbia,  reputed  to  be  the 
bleached  bones  of  the  Giant.] 


1917]  Gifford:  Miwok  Myths  335 


ABSTRACTS 

1.  The   Theft  of  Fire.     Geese  and  others  gather  in  an  assembly  house  in  the 
hills.     They  lack  fire.     Lizard  discovers  fire  emerging  from  an  assembly  house  in 
the  valley.     Flute-player   (Mouse)   goes  to  steal  fire.     He  finds  the  entrances  of 
the  assembly  house  guarded  by   Bear,   Rattlesnake,   Mountain   Lion,   and   Eagle. 
Ho  enters  through  the  smoke  hole  by  cutting  the  feathers  of  Eagle's  wing.     He 
fills  with  fire  four  flutes  with  which  he  escapes.     On  the  homeward  journey  he  is 
pursued   by   Rain   and   Hail.     Hail  catches  him,   but   Flute-player   has   concealed 
his    flutes    in    the    water    and    denies    having    the    fire.      He    is    met    by    Coyote, 
who  has  become  impatient.     After  his   arrival,   Flute-player   plays  his   flutes  on 
top    of   the   assembly   house,    dropping   coals    through    the    smoke    hole.      Coyote 
interrupts   him   before   he   finishes.      Because    of    the    interruption,    some    people 
receive  no  fire.     Those  in  the  middle  of  the  assembly  house  receive  fire,  cook  their 
food,  and  talk  correctly.     Those  on  the  sides   (distant  tribes)    receive  none,  eat 
raw  food,  and  talk  differently. 

2.  Bear  and  the  Fawns.     Bear  invites  her  sister-in-law,  Deer,  to  gather  clover. 
They  louse  each  other.     Bear  kills  Deer  by  biting  her  neck,  eats  her,  and  takes 
home  the  liver  in  a  basket  of  clover,  which  she  gives  to  Deer 's  two  daughters. 
The  Fawns  recognize  the  liver  and  decide  to  escape.     They  take  with  them  their 
mother 's  baskets,  awls,  and  brushes,  which  they  throw  off  the  trail  as  they  flee. 
As    Bear    pursues,    these    objects   whistle    and    decoy   her    from    the    trail.      The 
Fawns  cross  a  river  on  the  stretched  leg  of  their  grandfather,  Daddy  Longlegs. 
When  Bear  crosses,  he  withdraws  his  leg  and  she  falls  in  the  river.     The  Fawns 
reach    the   assembly   house    of   Lizard,    another    grandfather,    who    shelters    them 
and  heats  two  white  stones.     On  Bear's  arrival  she  is  told  to  enter  through  the 
smoke  hole  with  her  mouth  open  and  eyes  closed.     Lizard  then  throws  the  hot 
stones  down  her  throat.     After  her  death,  he  dresses  her  hide  and  cuts  it.     The 
larger  piece  he  gives  to  the  older  Fawn,  the  smaller  piece  to  the  younger.     He 
tells  them  to  run  and  discover  the  sound  they  make.     The  smaller  hide   makes 
the  louder  noise.     When  they  run  against  a  tree,  the  younger  Fawn  shatters  it 
more  completely.     Lizard  send  the  Fawns  above  and  they  become  Thunders. 

3.  Yayali,  the  Giant.     The  Giant  enters  the  hills  in  search  of  human  victims. 
Chipmunk,   imagining   that  his   wife 's   brother   approaches,   answers   the   Giant 's 
calls.     As  he  brings  the  Giant  to  his  assembly  house  the  latter  kills  him  with  a 
stone  from  his  burden  basket.     Chipmunk  is  eaten   by  the   Giant,   who   marries 
his  widow.     She  hides  Chipmunk 's  daughter  in  a  pit,  feeding  her  venison.     The 
woman  pretends  to  eat  the  human  flesh  and  pine  nuts   obtained  by  the   Giant, 
but  in  reality  eats  only  venison  and  pine  nuts  obtained  by  Chipmunk.     She  gives 
birth  to  two  giants. 

Chipmunk 's  brother  dreams  of  him  and  visits  him.  He  finds  the  doors  of 
Chipmunk's  house  blocked  with  boulders  to  prevent  the  escape  of  Chipmunk's 
Avidow.  Chipmunk 's  brother  prepares  to  kill  the  Giant.  He  digs  holes  and 
sharpens  a  manzanita  stick.  He  sends  his  sister-in-law  to  her  father.  She  takes 
her  daughter  and  a  deer  skin  of  crushed  obsidian.  The  Giant  returns  and  tries 
to  capture  Chipmunk's  brother,  who  escapes  by  jumping  into  his  holes.  He  tells 
the  Giant  that  he  will  allow  himself  to  be  captured  after  the  Giant  dances.  From 
the  roof  he  decapitates  the  Giant,  whose  head  projects  through  the  smoke  hole 
when  he  dances. 


336  University  of  California  Publications  in  Am.  Arch,  and  Ethn.     [Vol.  12 

The  Giant's  brothers,  following  a  dream,  visit  their  brother's  house  and 
unknowingly  eat  his  flesh  which  Chipmunk 's  brother  has  scattered  about  on  trees 
and  rocks.  The  youngest  Giant  discovers  his  brother's  head.  Following  dreams, 
the  Giants  pursue  Chipmunk's  widow,  who  escapes  repeatedly  by  throwing  crushed 
obsidian  in  their  eyes.  She  reaches  the  house  of  Lizard,  her  father,  who  spits 
on  the  house  and  turns  it  to  stone.  He  calls  upon  the  wind,  the  snow,  the  hail, 
and  the  flood  to  destroy  the  Giant's  brothers.  They  blow  back  the  wind,  melt 
the  snow  by  shouting,  and  stop  the  hail  by  shouting.  The  flood  drowns  them. 

4.  The  Making  of  Arrows.     Two  brothers,   Prairie  Falcon  and  Dove,   decide 
to  hunt,  but  lack  weapons.     They  throw  their  grandmother  into  the  water,  taking 
her  tooth  for  a  knife  and  pulling  sinew  from  her  limbs.     They  make  a  bow  and 
arrows.      Their   grandmother   enters   the   water    and   becomes    Beaver.      The   two 
brothers  have  a  contest,  shooting  twice  to  the  east  end  of  the  world,  and  twice 
to  the  west  end.     The  arrows  strike  together.     The  brothers  race  to  them,  both 
running  at  the  same  speed.     The  second  time  that  they  shoot  west  the  arrows 
strike  in  a  bush,  the  root  of  which  they  eat  while  digging. 

Their  grandmother  causes  the  water  to  drown  Prairie  Falcon.  Dove  rolls 
about  the  country  crying  for  his  dead  brother  and  bruising  and  cutting  himself. 
He  meets  Spark,  whom  he  sends  to  visit  the  old  woman,  who  is  crushing  bones. 
A  small  bone  flies  forth  which  Spark  seizes  and  places  on  an  arrow.  He  shoots 
it  to  Dove,  who  picks  it  up.  The  point  transforms  itself  into  Prairie  Falcon, 
who  cries  over  his  brother  Dove's  injuries.  The  various  birds  contribute  one 
feather  apiece  with  which  Dove  is  rehabilitated.  The  brothers  travel  about  the 
world  visiting  the  rocks  which  bruised  Dove.  They  fail  to  secure  the  return  of 
their  grandmother,  who  remains  in  the  river  as  Beaver.  Thenceforth  all  people 
make  arrows. 

5.  Prairie  Falcon's  Marriage.     Chief  Prairie  Falcon  marries  Green  Heron's 
daughter,  also  Meadowlark.     Chief  Eagle  takes  Meadowlark.     Prairie  Falcon  in 
anger  travels  about  the  world.     He  threatens  to  kill  his  unfaithful  wife  if  she 
follows  him,  but  changes  his  mind  when  his  sister  says  that  his  wife  will  save 
his  life.     Returning,  he  visits  his  sister,  who  tells  her  husband,  Lizard,  to  restrain 
his  dogs,  which  are  rattlesnakes  and  bears. 

Prairie  Falcon  starts  for  the  place  where  his  father  died.  He  wife  follows. 
He  goes  south.  Upon  his  return  he  finds  that  his  wife  has  followed  him,  so  he 
sets  out  to  overtake  her.  Together  they  visit  his  father,  Owl.  Lizard  throws 
fire,  causing  a  conflagration.  Prairie  Falcon  escapes  by  flight.  His  wife 
escapes  by  pulling  two  hairs,  which  become  a  lake,  in  which  she  submerges  her- 
self. Aided  by  the  winds,  Prairie  Falcon  and  wife  pass  through  a  hole  which 
closes  and  opens.  At  his  father 's  village,  he  finds  that  Chief  Mountain  Sheep 's 
people  wish  to  play  games  with  him,  the  loser  to  forfeit  his  life.  Chief  Moun- 
tain Sheep  demands  the  loan  of  Prairie  Falcon's  wife  and  sends  in  exchange 
another  woman  with  whom  Prairie  Falcon  declines  to  sleep.  Prairie  Falcon 
objects  to  sending  his  wife  to  Mountain  Sheep's  house,  and  in  vain  offers  a 
string  of  beads  in  lieu  of  her. 

Gopher  aids  Prairie  Falcon  by  digging  tunnels  on  Mountain  Sheep 's  side  of 
the  field.  Following  football  games  which  Prairie  Falcon  wins,  he  shoots  Moun- 
tain Sheep. 

He  tells  his  sister  that  he  killed  the  people  at  the  other  village.  She  tells 
him  not  to  speak  thus  in  the  presence  of  Lizard.  Prairie  Falcon  is  offended 
and  leaves  home,  going  to  his  father-in-law,  Green  Heron,  and  remaining  two 
days.  His  father,  Dove,  and  Coyote  urge  him  to  marry  a  girl  with  whom 
he  has  been  going. 


1917]  Gifford:  Miwok  Myths  337 

6.  The  Flood.     Chiefs  Prairie  Falcon  and  Eagle  and  their  people  take  refuge 
upon  a  high  mountain  to  escape  a  flood.     Coyote  is  unable  to  go  because  he  has 
lost  a  leg.    He  escapes  by  clinging  to  a  log.    On  the  mountain  dwells  Rattlesnake. 
The  waters  rise  higher,  necessitating  a  second  flight.     Flicker  carries  Rattlesnake, 
who  bites  him.     Rattlesnake  is  dropped  and  drowns.     The  refugees  find  a  piece 
of  dry  land.     The  entire  world  is  flooded.     Prairie  Falcon  sends  forth  Dove  to 
discover  if  human  beings  survive.     Later  Prairie  Falcon  sends  forth  Dove  and 
Hummingbird  to  bring  mud.     He  tells  them  not  to  eat  seeds  or  suck  flowers. 

7.  The  Eepeopling  of  the   World.     Following  the   flood   there  are  no  human 
beings.      All    have    drowned.      Chief    Eagle    asks    Coyote    to    resurrect    mankind. 
Coyote  does  so  by  singing  many  days,  following  the  advice  of  a  skeleton  which 
appears  in  a  dream. 

8.  The  Search  for  the  Deer.     The  deer  hide  themselves  in  various  caves   in 
the  mountains.     The  people  starve.     The  hunters,  Mountain  Lion,  Fox,  Wild  Cat, 
Black  Fox,  and  Crow,  search  in  vain  for  deer.     Crow  does  not  return.     Others 
search  for  him.     A  second  Crow,  brother  of  Crow  who  fails  to  return,  searches 
for  him  and  for  the  deer.     From  a  mountain  top  he  discovers  the  deer  in  a  cave. 
The   people   surround   the   cave   and   young   Mountain   Lion    enters   to   start   the 
slaughter.     He  faints  from  the  heat  and  his  father,  Chief  Mountain  Lion,  rescues 
him.     All  deer  escape.     Some  people  die  of  starvation.     None  return  home  be- 
cause weak  with  hunger.     Chief  Mountain  Lion  proceeds  homeward  alone.     He 
meets  Skunk,  who  demands  a  ride  on  his  back,  agreeing  to  save  the  lives  of  some 
of  the  people.     The  Chief  gives  him  a  ride.     Skunk  tells  the  Chief  that  he  does 
not  care  if  all  of  the  people  die,  so  long  as  he  rides  across  the  river.     The  chief 
pretends  to  stumble.     Skunk  falls  into  the  river  and  drowns.     Across  the  river 
the   chief   meets   the   first   Crow   descending   a   hill   with    deer.      The    remaining 
people  are  saved. 

9.  Salamander  and  Chipmunk.     Salamander  tells  Chipmunk  that  he  failed  to 
obtain  a  big  deer.     Chipmunk  sets  out  in  search  of  his  father.     He  meets  two 
Deer  women,  Avho  capture  him  and  take  him  to  the  sky.     Their   father  throws 
ropes   to   them  with   which   to   lash   Chipmunk.      Chipmunk   refuses   to   eat   seed. 
He    kills    their    father    after    fattening   him    by    singing.      Two    of    Chipmunk 's 
brothers,  Brown  Bird  and  Tuyipitina,  search  for  him  in  vain.     His  older  brother 
climbs   to   the   sky   and   rescues  him.     The   two   brothers   escape   by   clinging   to 
arrows  which  strike  at  their  home.     At  home  Chipmunk  builds  a  fire  into  which 
he  throws  Salamander,  whom  he  blames  for  his  troubles. 

10.  Lizard  and  Fox.     Lizard  goes  below  to  eat  worms.     Tarantula  tells  him 
to  be  sure  to  return,  as  Fox  is  to  hunt.     Fox  assembles  the  hunters.     Each  boasts 
of  his  prowess  and  of  what  he  intends  to  do  in  the  deer  hunt.     Mountain  Lion, 
Mountain  Quail,   Bald   Eagle,   Wolf,   Coyote,  Crow,   Skunk,   Dove,   Hummingbird, 
Brown  Wren,  California  Jay,  and  Turkey  Vulture  participate  in  the  hunt.     Turtle 
promises  to  carry  water  for  the  hunters.     Fox  orders  that  Night  Hawk  be  left 
home,  for  fear  that  he   might  swallow  the  largest  deer  whole.     Races   between 
Dove   and   Hummingbird   and   an    arrow-dodging   contest    between    Brown    Wren 
and  Jay  are  discussed. 

Each  hunter  obtains  one  deer.  Fox  waits  until  the  last  deer  are  passing. 
With  one  arrow  he  kills  four  deer  in  four  canyons.  While  they  skin  the  deer, 
Skunk  visits  his  son-in-law,  Fox,  and  asks  that  he  be  allowed  to  ride  on  top  of 
the  pile  which  Fox  is  to  carry.  While  Skunk  and  Fox  threaten  to  shoot  each 
other  with  their  fluid  and  arrows  respectively,  Night  Hawk  takes  the  largest  deer 
in  his  mouth.  When  accused  of  theft  by  Fox,  Night  Hawk  denies  it. 


338  University  of  California  Publications  in  Am.  Arch,  and  Etlm.     [Vol.  12 

11.  Valley  Quail's  Adventures.     Young  Valley  Quail  visits  his  father  in  the 
mountains.      He  carries  in  a  bag  his  father 's  ' '  poison, ' '  which  consists  of  yellow- 
jackets  and  other  stinging  insects.    At  his  bidding  the  insects  kill  various  animals. 
Coyote  insists  that  he  has  food  in  his  bag.     Quail  allows  Coyote  to  open  it  and 
the  insects  sting  him  to  death.     Other  creatures  killed  are  deer,  bears,  mountain 
lions,    mountain    sheep,    rattlesnakes,    an    immense    fabulous    rattlesnake    named 
Hamaua,  and  black  bears.     Valley  Quail 's  father  is  surprised  that  his  son  arrives 
safely.     His   son   demonstrates   his   use   of   the   poison.      He   plans   to   return   on 
the  following  day. 

12.  The  Theft  of  Fire.    A  brief  version  of  1,  also  accounting  for  buckeye  fire 
drill. 

13.  Bear  and  the  Fawns.    A  brief  version  of  2,  plus  suffocation  of  Bear  Cubs. 

14.  Yayali,  the  Giant.     A  very  brief  version  of  3,  in  which  Giant  is  burned 
to  death. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA   PUBLICATIONS- (CONTINUED) 

Vol.  7.  1.  The  Emeryville  Shelhnound,  by  Max  Utie.  Pp.  1-106,  plates  1-12,  witfc 

38  text  figures.  June,  1907  ...„ _ _ 1.26 

2.  Recent  Investigations  bearing  upon  the  Question  of  the  Occurrence  of 
Neocene  Man  in  the  Auriferous  Gravels  of  California,  by  William 
J.  Sinclair,  Pp.  107-130,  plates  13-14.  February,  1908  ..._ _.  .36 

S.  Porno  Indian  Basketry,  by  S.  A.  Barrett.  Pp.  133-308,  plates  15-30, 

231  text  figures.  December,  1908  „...  1.76 

4.  Shellmounds  of  the  San  Francisco   Bay   Region,   by  N.   0.   Nelson. 

Pp.  309-356,  plates  32-34.     December,   1909   J50 

5.  The  Ellis  Landing  Shellmound,  by  N.  0.  Nelson.    Pp.  357-426,  plates 

36-50.    April,  1910  7S 

Index,  pp.  427-443, 
Vol.  S.      1.  A  Mission  Record  of  the  California  Indians,  from  a  Manuscript  in  the 

Bancroft  Library,  by  A.  L.  Kroeber.    Pp.  1-27.    May,  1908  ..._ 20 

2.  The  Ethnography  of  the  Cahuilla  Indians,  by  A.  L.  Kroeber.    Pp.  29- 

68,  plates  1-15.    July,  1908  75 

3.  The  Religion  of  the  Luiseno  and  Diegueno  Indians  of  Southern  Cali- 

fornia, by  Constance  Goddard  Dubois.     Pp.  69-186,  plates  16-19. 
June,  1908 1.28 

4.  The  Culture  of  the  Luiseno  Indians,  by  Philip  Stedman  Sparkman. 

Pp.  187-234,  plate  20.    August,  1908  _ £0 

6.  Notes  on  Shoshonean  Dialects  of  Southern  California,  by  A.  L.  Kroe- 
ber.    Pp.  235-269.     September,   1909 86 

6.  The  Religious  Practices  of  the  Dieguefio  Indians,  by  T.  T.  Waterman. 

Pp.  271-358,  plates  21-28.    March,  1910  80 

Index,  pp.  359-369. 
Vol.  9.      1.  Tana  Texts,  by  Edward  Sapir,  together  with  Yana  Myths  collected  by 

Roland  B.  Dixon.    Pp.  1-235.    February,  1910 2.50 

2.  The  Chumash  and  Costanoan  Languages,  by  A.  L.  Kroeber.    Pp.  237- 

271.     November,  1910 _ 85 

3.  The  Languages  of  the  Coast  of  California  North  of  San  Francisco,  by 

A.  L.  Kroeber.    Pp.  273-435,  and  map.    April,  1911  1.50 

Index,  pp.  437-439. 
Vol.  10.    1.  Phonetic  Constituents  of  the  Native  Languages  of  California,  by  A. 

L.  Kroeber.     Pp.  1 12.    May,  1911 10 

2.  The  Phonetic  Elements  of  the  Northern  Paiute*  Language,  by  T.  T. 

Waterman.    Pp.  13-44,  plates  1-5.    November,  1911  46 

5.  Phonetic  Elements  of  the  Mohave  Language,  by  A.  L.  Kroeber.    Pp. 

45-96,  plates  6-20.    November,  1911 66 

4.  The  Ethnology  of  the  Salinan  Indians,  by  J.  Alden  Mason.    Pp.  97- 

240,  plates  21-37.    December,  1912  1.76 

5.  Papago  Verb  Stems,  by  Juan  Dolores.    Pp.  241-263.    August,  1913 25 

6.  Notes  on  the  Chilula  Indians  of  Northwestern  California,  by  Pliny 

Earl  Goddard.    Pp.  265-288,  plates  38-41.    April,  1914 30 

7.  Chilula  Texts,  by  Pliny  Earle  Goddard.     Pp.   289-379.     November, 

1914 _ 1.00 

Index,  pp.  381-385. 
Vol.  11.    1.  Elements  of  the  .Kato  Language,  by  Pliny  Earle  Goddard.    Pp.  1-176, 

plates  1-45.     October,  1912  2.00 

2.  Phonetic  Elements  of  the  Diegueno  Language,  by  A.  L.  Kroeber  and 

J.  P.  Harrington.    Pp.  177-188.     April,  1914  10 

3.  Sarsi  Texts,  by  Pliny  Earle  Goddard.    Pp.  189-277.    February,  1915....    1.00 

4.  Serian,  Tequistlatecan,  -and  Hokan,  by  A.  L.  Kroeber.    Pp.  279-290. 

February,  1915  10 

6.  Dichotomous  Social  Organization  in  South  Central  California,  by  Ed- 
ward Winslow  Gifford.    Pp.  291-296.    February,  1916 05 

6.  The  Delineation  of  the  Day-Signs  in  the  Aztec  Manuscripts,  by  T.  T. 

Waterman.    Pp.  297-398.    March,  1916  1.00 

7.  The  Mutsun  Dialect  of  Costanoan  Based  on  the  Vocabulary  of  De  la 

Cuesta,  by  J.  Alden  Mason.    Pp.  399-472.    March,  1916 70 

Index,  pp.  473-479. 
Vol.  12.    1.  Composition  of  California  Shellmounds,  by  Edward  Winslow  Gifford. 

Pp.  1-29.     February,  1916 30 

2.  California  Place  Names  of  Indian  Origin,  by  A.  L.  Kroeber,     Pp. 

31-69.     June,   1916   40 

3.  Arapaho  Dialects,  by  A.  L.  Kroeber.    Pp.  71-138.    Juno,  1916  70 

4.  Miwok  Moieties,  by  Edward  Winslow  Gifford.     Pp.  139-194.     June, 

1916    55 

5.  On  Plotting  the  Inflections  of  the  Voice,  by  Cornelius  B.  Bradley.    Pp. 

195-218,  plates  1-5.    October,  1916 25 


